personal inventory

So it seems like it has been eons since I started my little blog. Recent events have forced me to consider the fact that perhaps I have misplaced certain aspects of myself. The how or why this has occurred is still a bit of a mystery to me, and really irrelevant.

What's important is the current campaign to resuscitate a few parts of myself that I have been neglecting as of late.

When I grow up, I want to be a designer. Whether this is my only means of professional achievement, or simply something I do to help out friends and have a good time, I know that I want to help shape the interiors and events that make up their lives others. There it has been said. I am really no good at personal admissions, so I am going to go ahead and give myself a a gold star for that one and move on.

All this introspection has forced a valid question, how long has it been since I have done something for my own happiness and fulfillment?

It is no surprise that the answer had something to do with a few of my nearest and dearest.

This summer my dear friend Ms. Dede said "I Do." to the equally wonderful Mr. Eric Lewis. And I got to be the lucky girl charged with helping the bride select her centerpieces, as well as designing and assembling the bouquets for the Mrs. and her bridesmaids.

Another special wedding happened this fall. Helena and Joshua tied the knot as well. The photos for this blessed event aren't available quite yet, but should be posted soon. Arranging flowers has been a love of mine for some time. Now for some reason, now, nearly thirty, I think I might just be willing to afford myself the things I love....

All photos by Sara Wolfram.

The Quiet Junkie...

I am a junkie for quiet. As much as I adore the happy noise of my house, and of course, those who inhabit it, I love quiet. So calm and open. Nothing to react to, to anticipate. It's after two in the morning, and I really should turn in, but I just love it. I can find my thoughts, and they so easily find me.

(Miss Rosie Brown)

A pefect day for pickin' a pumpkin...

...or six. had ourselves a good time at the pumpkin patch. i'll be honest, it was for fun and all, but it turned out to be more of a failed attempt to get some photos of my finn in the lovely fall sunshine, and as to be expected, an instance in which someone we know became overwhelmed by all the choices. but we did get a chance to talk to the chickens, and picked out some great pumpkins (of all colors and sizes of course).

the day also happened to be my best adult birthday ever, and very unexpectedly so. twenty eight years. i got flowers, was fed sausages & wine, had an after dinner jaunt with the boys to our favorite sweet shop and for the first time in a while, felt generally happy to be me. the sentiment seems to have continued, as i am still feeling pretty satisfied/optimistic/excited. i think it's going to be a good year...


ohh, and a certain someone surprised me with some very luscious slippers. i'll just say, i hate to leave the house, as it means taking them off. always been the kind of girl who thought of slippers as all to practical and boring to spend any amount of money on. no more; i am changed woman, and very happily so.

the dreaded age of maintenence; part deux

so my poor computer was pronounced dead (a few days after my car), but has been resurrected thanks to my friendly mac mechanic. and while i am not up an running quite yet, as the old girl is getting some fresh memory installed, i am getting closer...
the littlest man made it home safe and sound from his adventures in argentina, and started first grade this week! it was a bit gut wrenching (and teary for the mama) that first day, but it's now going well for the both of us. while we are both still adjusting to the early mornings (what, no pajamas until 2 pm?), he is happy to be in the company of compadres his own age and i am excited about the prospect of finding a big girl job.

systems down...

It seems my dear computer is still feeling a bit under the weather, making the business of blogging difficult, especially considering how attached I am to my singular piece of technology. What can I say? Other computers just don't do it for me. I know there is newer, sleeker, and all around more impressive, but to me there is only one. So while I await the much needed repairs and maintenance, I am taking a bit of a break from the blog, not that I've been at all that long anyway.

But before I go, I will share a little wondering...

So a few of my nearest and dearest have recently experienced a situation similar to my own; just as you feel a bit of momentum in the area of professional endeavors and possibilities, CRASH, system's down. It's just a little funny to me, my computer is seriously the only piece of technology I truly rely on (besides the basics of course) and just as I seem to be needing it the most, away it goes.

Lot's of projects and things to share soon. Loves.

yet another departure...

all too soon it seems, summer is turning away to leave. as i was leaving work this evening i felt a certain chill in the air that can only mean one thing. oh sweet summer, leaving me now, it's not even september!

speaking of departures, i am waking up on the early side of life tomorrow and heading to the bay area to celebrate the last single days of one of my favorite people. that's right, my dear friend dede is going to be a mrs. soon. another one bites the dust. but not really. this is the real deal, the kind of happy we all hope for. but we'll have time to toast the charming couple later; for now it's all about her. going to get my toes done with her and the gals, have myself an in and out burger, drink a bit too much i am sure, and squeeze in a quickie with good ol' anthropologie....oh the thrills of being a girl.

(inspired by the times, and like so many of my photos, this one was taken by yours truly while in argentina)

And away he goes...

my littlest man left this morning for his long journey to argentina. after a few weeks of second thoughts, strange dreams, and of course sudden moments of complete panic; i let him go. it's not his first time, nor likely will it be his last. he will be there with his father and family, getting lots of love and attention, eating lots of wonderful food, and taking in the sights and scenery of his homeland. it's a wonderful experience for a six year old, and in the end really what choice did i have; but boy, am i going to miss that sweet face, and of course all the mischief and kisses...  

technical difficulties, a wonderful wednesday, and the view from the kitchen table....

It's been too long, I know. Like me, my computer has reached the dreaded age of maintenance. Of course I am not the prompt and apt individual who realizes there is a problem, and then immediately gets to fixing it. No not me. Though I must say, I am beginning to realize and even appreciate my own tendencies, only after years of scratching my head and wondering why I am not right there with everyone else. It's kind of like that whole Slow Food Movement, good things take their sweet old time.

Last Wednesday found us all needing a little magic and adventure, so I packed a quick picnic and loaded the boys up and off we went.

Jacksonville is a tiny little gold mining town that has plenty of charm and ease and is only about thirty minutes away. We laid about in a little park, ate lunch, bought the little person an ice cream cone, and did a bit of wine tasting. Then we decided why stop here, let's head out into the Applegate Valley see some sights, and hit up another tasting room. So we did and here's a bit of what we saw...

and of course, the view from the back seat....

We ended up stopping in at Troon Vineyard, where we sipped a bit more wine, laid in the hammock and played bocce ball. It was wonderful. We had the place all to ourselves on account of it being a weekday, and of course there was the impending storm....

And so here I sit, at my favorite place, thinking about our sweet day together...

at last...

i am happy to report that the ease of summer has finally found our household. it just happened, all of sudden, losing track of time, napping in the afternoon, evenings on the porch, conversations with good friends; it is just a wonder what this season brings.

the wonders and bounty of the season have also arrived in my kitchen; all of my bowls of any decent size now seemed to be constantly occupied by peaches, and fruit of all kinds, tomatoes so beautiful you hate to cut them up.

come tomorrow we might actually have our hammock hung. saying that makes me realize perhaps i neglected summer this year as opposed to having myself been the neglected one. oh well it is here, and it is bliss.

(the above photo was taken by yours truly on a solo trip to argentina. it was summer in february.)

view from the kitchen table

well i had this marvelous second post in mind, but this is what is. perhaps someday, i'll get around to photographing a few things that i love, compiling a sweet and clever commentary, and present to my many readers a view in to my life. 

for the sake of starting though, i am just going to give you what i've got. this is me, ages ago, but me, with the one i love...

and while this is not my kitchen table, it's a table i once sat at; in fact i took this photo. obviously charged batteries magically found their way into my camera, and a similar miracle occurred when the picture found itself uploaded to my computer. it is my intention to improve though. i aim to be someone who affixes a stamp to an envelope after sealing it, as opposed to someone who lets her letters and bills sit on her windowsill until the concerned individual calls or i receive another friendly notice from the electric company.

so my kitchen table. apart from my bed, it is the one place in our home that i seem to frequent the most. after meals have been eaten and dishes have been done, or ignored, i sit. sometimes i sip some tea, i almost always steal a glance at my little garden outside the window (smile), but mostly i just sit. i think i might be waiting for something to happen i am not really sure. 

oh the chore of interpreting one's own strange habits. 

so here i am at two in the morning, having observed all of the peaceful sleepers of my household, sitting at my kitchen table. and i do love the view from here, i can see so many of my pleasures and think about my projects, consider the day that has passed or the one that is about to begin; i am just wondering, is there someplace else i should be? 

Girl can't blog....

Okay so here goes. I am not promising anything great, in fact I am trying to catch a moving train at this point, so who knows what I will actually accomplish in dedicating a blog to my musings, desires and ideas.
But I do have some things to say, to communicate, if only I could get to them. At the moment I am completely flustered by my inability to construct a blog. How to find a font I really like, paste up a header, what to do with all the little icons.... Goodness.
The truth is, I set this puppy up months ago, paying occasional visits, threatening to post and shape the thing into something, but never managing to do so. But I have finally decided a pathetic start is better than no start, right?