lost and found

1. our indesputable romance, 2. study of the inchworm, 3. trophy wife, 4. tin roof rusted, 5. ripples in a pond, 6. destiny, 7. tumbledown soldiers, 8. bridal stuff, 9. Empty belly, 10. all bets off, 11. Bluebeard's lament, 12. Bennett

It dawned on me the other day that I'm finally found.

I've spent thirty-six years finding myself and now I think I finally found me.

I thought I was found in college.  I read a lot of books and philosophized on religion and politics.  If the twenty year old April could see me today she would be disguised. "What is she doing with her life?" I'd ask. "What good is baking apples and doing crafts? Why would anyone want more than two kids? Doesn't she know the world is overpopulated? Whatabouttheforestforheavenssake!"

So I've changed a bit.  I think for the better.  No, I didn't make it through to receive my Masters in English Literature.  I didn't wander through the Amazon pontificating the meaning of life.  I didn't even get published in the University journal.

But I have been entrusted with the happiness and well being of three little people.  I've found the meaning of life through motherhood.  And I write about that everyday discovery experience right here on my blog, which I publish myself.

I'm a different person than I was then. I'm I different person than I was five years ago.  There are still things I 'd like to work on and change about myself, but at thirty-six I finally found perspective, and that seems to be the key.

I'm thirty-six. I know my beliefs both spiritual and political.  I know my sense of style. I know what is most important to me in life. I know who loves me unconditionally.  I know what I want.

I'm found.

But that doesn't mean there won't be changes.

black magic

I love me a good antique store. I mean I really love it. However, antique stores are like Chinese restaurants. There are a billion of them and only a few good ones.  You have to hunt them out. It takes time and patience.

My mother-in-law discovered a gem. They have unique stuff. Not junk. Special, one-of-a-kind like items.

I hyperventilated a little when I spotted these shoes and saw that they were my size.  According to the owner of the shop, they were part of a whole ensemble but the dress and clutch went home with a women who wasn't a size eight. The shoes stayed right where they were, waiting for me.

They make me feel pretty and stylish and fancy, these shoes. I haven't worn them out yet, but I have worn them around the house, you know, when I need a little lift. Like when I do the dishes and such. No, I'm not kidding. Some times I wear them with my pajamas.

Isn't it funny how an item of clothing or an accessory can change the way you feel? For me, it's like music.  What I wear and listen to, determines how I feel at that time. It's like magic.  

I saw this head dress on Emma Lamb's blog. It is from ban.do.  It has sold (for $300 if you can believe that), so I think I will try to make one similar.

And now I just need somewhere to wear my sexy sling backs and feathered headband. Is it too over the top for church? Tell me true.

recipe

bubba-loo

I promised guests that I would post the recipe for the chicken we served at the party soooo without much ado... via Jenny Hurst...


CHICKEN PICCATA

20 or so Chicken Tenders (I bought the Foster Farms tenderloins and used 3 of the prepacked bags - located in the fresh meat section)

I used a 9 X 13 pan, and a pie pan and it fit 3 packages of chicken just fine.

2-3 eggs (beaten)

Bread Crumbs:
1 cup Italian Bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Parsley flakes (finely chopped)
Garlic Salt (sprinkle a little)
Flour (I didn't use this, so try just a little)
salt and pepper (sprinkle a little)

Sauce:
1 cup half and half
1 stick of butter
Juice of 2 REAL lemons (not the juice from the store)

Optional: capers, mix a half of jar into the sauce after you have blended the 3 above ingredients

Dip tenders in egg, then in the crumbs. Brown in hot pan with melted butter. Do not cook through. Just enough for each side to be a little crispy. Place in baking dish and put in oven at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Pour sauce over chicken and cook for another 5-10 minutes. Be careful to not overcook.
My suggestions: I made this recipe last night and the family loved it! It was very tender and moist! Try mixing the sauce in a blender to get a better consistency (I didn't do this, and I think it will make the sauce smoother). Also, I did 1 cup of butter for the sauce (the first time) and it was a little too much, because when it came out of the oven, you could see a layer of butter in the pan. So, using 1 stick of butter worked better instead of two sticks. Another thought: really coat the chicken with the bread crumbs. The ones that were coated were the better ones. :)

Also for inquiring minds, the transcendent apple crisp that Joan Crandall brought and everyone snarfed down before I even got a single spoonful is an Ina Garten recipe.


AND, if you live in St. George, make sure you head on over to Jazzy Java at 285 N., Bluff St. on Saturday night. Mindy Gledhill will be there, singing her heart out.

woodland wonderland party

Last summer the Boy came tearing into the house like a bat out of hell screaming about a bird in the garage. So I went to investigate. Sure enough, a humming bird was sitting on the windowsill dazed and confused.

I gently cupped the tiny bird into my hands and we took him out into the daylight. We held our breath as he sat on my palm trying to get his barrings. He was blue and green with sparks of bright red and he looked like a jewel all shiny and bright.  We slowly let out our breath and just like that, he was gone.

Thom and I stood with our faces to the sun looking at the tree tops to see if we might just catch a glimpse of him one more time and contemplating the miracles of nature.  It was one of those moments when you know you have been given a gift and you want it to last just a little bit longer.

This past weekend felt a little like that moment.  Mindy Gledhill fluttered into my backyard on Saturday afternoon and proceeded to practice her music with her guitarist Joe.

Amelie played and danced on the patio.

I was upstairs sitting at my vanity, listening to Mindy sing, trying to apply eyeliner and crying it all off. Such was my disbelief at my good fortune.

bubba-loo

bubba-loo

bubba-loo

bubba-loo

The guests starting arriving at five.  They bought raffle tickets. They mingled and talked and munched on appetizers.  Dinner was served buffet style.

The sun set and we turned on the lights.  Ben had strung market lights above the tables and they looked amazing twinkling like they tend to do.

And then Mindy sang under those lights, in a vintage dress, with her hair in a braid and her heart on her sleeve.  Her voice floated high above the lights, and out into the darkness. Who knows how many ears she reached?  Mothers putting their babies to bed? Friends sharing an evening on the back porch? Lonely souls?  One can't really say.

But I will say this: I will never forget that night.  It will be in my memory during my last days on earth and I will be glad that I put forth the effort to make it happen.

Thank you to all my friends that helped. You know who you are. Please call in a favor soon. I hate to be in anyone's debt.

Thank you to all my guests. You were extremely generous and because you were, we will be able to give our family in need a big helping hand.

Thank you Kelly of Bubba-loo for snapping some pics at the party so these here blog folk can have a looksy.

bubba-loo

bubba-loo

And Mindy- girl, you flew away too fast for my liking, but I will be looking towards the sunshine, watching every little thing you do.

tomorrow

photo by Raymond Meeks

She's coming. Tomorrow Mindy Gledhill will sing her beautiful, magical songs in my backyard and hopefully we will raise a hefty amount of dinero to give to a family that lost their daddy last July.

I'm excited. Can you tell????

I have dreams of people coming from all over like on Field of Dreams, drawn in by Mindy's voice.  She's gunna be like the the pied piper of my neighborhood I just know it.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

it was a dark and stormy day...

click photo for larger size

The day I worked on decorating my mantle the wind was blowing, the sky was dark and the rain was coming down in sheets.  It was the perfect day for spookifying your house.  

I made myself a hot cup of apple cider and went to work.

My theme this year is "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe.

You may remember my "Thom Pixie" from several years back. I simply took a photo of my son as a baby, photocopied it onto card stock and turned him into a pixie.

The wreath was made by rolling book pages and hot gluing them together. I drew a silhouette of a raven on coffee stained paper for the center.

I love the way these Victorian collars turned out for the candle holders.  They were also made using book paper. I stamped out scalloped circles, folded them over the end of a pencil to create little cups and glued them tightly together on a form.

The rats are from the Martha Stewart collection. The glittery spiders that I absolutely love are from Z Gallery.  Sparkly pumpkins and skulls are available at Target. I bought the banner download from House of 3.

I used an entire book to create this mantle. My apologies to the author, but I tired to get into your book. It just sucked.  Better luck next time.

Edgar Allen Poe

The Raven

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -

Only this, and nothing more.

what the world needs now...

kansunkea

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for sunshine and productivity, but I think it would do everyone some good if we could all have a little down time. Everyone deserves a rainy day when you don't go anywhere. A day where children stay in their cozy footed pajamas and play quiet games on the carpet. A day where responsibilities are set aside and the most pressing matter is if there is any popcorn in the house.  A day when meals are slow cooked over several hours and the food is rich and comforting. Calories don't count on rainy days. Did you know that?

Everyone should have a day like that.  The forecast says more rain today, then sunshine for the weekend. I think you are coming down with something. Better call in sick.

the fallacy of the PTA mom

I had such great intensions yesterday to get out the ol' camera and capture some of the projects happening around our abode.  But the weather had other plans for me.  I only shoot in natural light and there hasn't been much of that these past few days.

So I ran errands in the morning rain which is a monumental task with two squirmy babies to wrangle.  Then I came back home, filled their bellies and put them to bed. I started some tortilla soup and a load of laundry. I turned on Pandora and sat listening to the music and the rain and worked on projects for the party.

It was a very cozy day but it left me with no photos to share with you.  So I'm taking this opportunity to blog about something that's been on my mind as of late.

The question I get asked most by my blog readers is "How do you do everything? Where do you find the time?"  And my answers is this: I don't do everything.

I don't iron my husbands shirts. I don't weed my yard. I don't watch television. I don't go to soccer games. I don't sign up to clean the church house. I don't make big breakfasts. I don't do my hair every day or even wear make-up to the grocery store. And I sure as hell don't volunteer to be on the PTA board.

I had to streamline my life. I had to cut out those things that are either a) so difficult to do with two babies they aren't worth the effort or b) not substantially enriching to me or my family.

I gave up feeling guilty that I didn't jump at the chance to be the room mom or part of the PTA.  After all, I still make cookies, just not for the whole class. Maybe being on the PTA is what fuels other women.  That thought boggles my mind, but I know it must be true.  And thank goodness there are people out there that want to do it.  I won't sign up, but I'd give a solid knuckle bump to any mom who rocks it at her kids school.

There is no such thing as the mom that does it all. It's a fallacy. It may look like someone is able to accomplish way more than you are capable of doing, and maybe they can. But who cares?  I ask you- who cares? I can tell you right now it isn't your kids.

Chances are, most of you do more than I do. But like I said, I gave up feeling guilty.  My kids have a mom who is a crazy art freak, but they also have a mom who is there to catch them when they fall and bake cookies to make them happy.

Just for them. Not the whole class.

For now.

harvest mix

Oh good glory be it's here. Halloween is upon us. And I couldn't be more happy about that.

The costumes are all ready for the kids. The mantle is decorated.  Candy corn is purchased. Yes, I am that one individual that loves candy corn. Oh, the Sugar Daddy does too.  You know the harvest mix Brach's puts out every Halloween? We buy it. Like five bags of it. It's amazeballs* mixed with peanut M&M's.

I really do love the fall. The fashion. The food. I love it all.
For me it's a little like Christmas Spirit come early.  It puts a skip in my step.

The Sugar Daddy has been bitten by the harvest bug as well. Which, if you knew him,  you'd realize this is a huge step in the right direction.  He generally hates anything in the least bit commercial or where people run around with big stupid grins on their faces. What can I say? He's a wee bit grinchy.

But the other night he announced that instead of Halloween candy, we are going to hand out shave ice. Did I mention he bought a shave ice machine? He did. I was flabbergasted at first, then curious, and now I'm allllll over it.  We have like a kabillion flavors and it is now our new family tradition.  Thom had a huge bowl of shave ice with candles instead of cake for his birthday.  Clearly God knew I just couldn't get a cake made this year with the babies and all,  so he blessed us with a shave ice machine. He works in mysterious ways.

So we are handing out Hawaiian shave ice cones. Which could be a huge hit or a huge disaster.  We'll see. Parents may hate us.  Live and learn. Live. And. Learn.

So there's that. The shave ice news and also  I bought the most amazing pair of pointy-toed, sling-back heels at an antique store last weekend.  Talk about amazeballs. They make me feel like I just might be Jackie O. reincarnate.   I'm sure I'll be sharing pictures of them down the road sometime.

Speaking of down the road, we are packing up and heading out of town on Sunday which means I will be forced to do some wash so everyone can have clean knickers for the trip.  Which in turn means I must get in the right frame of mind to do this most dreaded of all domestic chores.  No love lost there.

It's going to be a busy busy week my friends and I'm wondering if I'm really up to it all. I'd much rather sit around and eat Harvest mix.

Here's my Halloween mantle from last year. I'll share this year's mantle later this week.  Stay tuned. This week's gunna be a doozy.

* This word belongs to one Margie Romney-Aslett, but I have stolen it, and I claim it as my own from now on.

Also, will spell check ever learn that I like to make up words and to just roll with it?  Enough with the little red dots already.

photo credits 

i love october don't you?

photo credits

O hushed October morning mild, 

Thy leaves have ripened to the fall; 

To-morrow's wind, if it be wild, 

Should waste them all. 

The crows above the forest call; 

To-morrow they may form and go. 

O hushed October morning mild, 

Begin the hours of this day slow, 

Make the day seem to us less brief. 

Hearts not averse to being beguiled, 

Beguile us in the way you know; 

Release one leaf at break of day; 

At noon release another leaf; 

One from our trees, one far away; 

Retard the sun with gentle mist; 

Enchant the land with amethyst. 

Slow, slow! 

For the grapes' sake, if they were all, 

Whose leaves already are burnt with frost, 

Whose clustered fruit must else be lost-- 

For the grapes' sake along the wall. 

by Robert Frost (my favorite poet)