The Inadvertent Farmer

Road Trip to Seattle and Fish Throwing

We are taking an unexpected road trip up to Seattle today.  After hubby's mom died he was left to be the legal guardian of his mentally handicapped aunt...tomorrow is the court date to make it all official!

While we are there we are going to have lunch in the Space Needle, go to the Seattle Children's Museum and maybe go to Pike Place Market and see them throw the salmon around!

What?

You didn't know we throw fish around up here?

Well you are missing quite a show!!!

(sorry if the beginning of the video makes you a little queasy...but if you persevere you will not only see salmon tossing but someone being chased by a giant octopus, what fun!)

 

What is a Mother to Think?

I have no idea if there is some hidden meaning behind this...

It is cold, we have just had a week of record breaking snow. 

Yet I looked out the kitchen window yesterday to see my sweet girl, my only daughter, my precious female offspring doing...?

I opened the back door to hear this little ditty being sung...

"Its spring, its spring, the sun is out...so you must go and you better not pout."

She was dancing around the remains of a snowman.  With each verse she would take a stick and whack at the poor melting man of snow.

She did all of this dressed in one of her grandma's nightgowns, a sunhat, and barefeet...in November, on a sunny but cold almost winter's day!

So what is a mother to think of all of this?

Have I failed her as her homeschool teacher for she obviously does not know her seasons...honey it is fall, almost winter not spring.

Have I failed her as a mother as she obviously does not know how to dress appropriately for the weather...sweetie it is cold out there, you might want a coat, and mittens, and maybe some pants.

Have I failed her as a human being for she obviously has no respect for minorities such as people made of snow...darling it is not nice to whack others on the head just because you think they are seasonably out of place.

Or could it just be...

Yes it obviously is...

That this little apple has not fallen far from her family tree.

A strange slightly twisted, obviously crazy family tree.

 

the Black Friday Edition of being Cheap!

I do not like to spend money.

I do not like to shop.

I would say I'm frugal...

Some of my children just might call me cheap 

I am, as we speak, braving the crowds for 50% off of socks (if you don't hear from me soon please call for backup!)

How can a mother of 5 resist 50% off socks?

Yes I am insane.

But then again I own one of these...

So really I'm just staying consistent.

From Kim...you consistently insane friend

 

Cranberry Stuffing and the Camel

Here is my bit of advice for this Thanksgiving season

Everything is good when covered with enough gravy...

or

Snow!

*****

I hope you all have a great day slaving over the stove, oven, microwave or crockpot.

Just remember it is not about how good the food is...

It is all about who you get to share the food with!

And yes he gets some too!

He is particularly fond of the dressing with cranberries...

 

Happy Thanksgiving all!

From Kim and Gizmo

A Garden in Snow is Pretty you Know!

OK folks, let's get this snow on the road!

Yes I do crack myself up...why?

As pretty as a garden is in summer it has an unique beauty when covered in snow.

So lovely it makes me break out in verse.

Sorry...

There's snow in the garden and I think that's just great.

It has covered the ground and it has covered the gate.

The weeds look so pretty adorned in fresh snow.

Even the ones that I missed in Autumn's last mow.

 

Forgotten tomatoes still hang on the vine.

I missed a few pumpkins...

I actually missed nine!

So while we are playing snow coveres our noses.

Which is darling on kids...

And just stunning on roses!

 

Snow's even lovely on a plain piece of grass.

Much prettier than there on my camel's big...

Well, you know...

 

 

 

 

 

Snow Ducks and Roses.

OK...I'm gonna make this short and sweet.

We have SNOW!  We never have snow before January and even then its not guaranteed...

So the kids and I are headed back outside, we had to come in for lunch and to put wood on the fire and now we're headed back out to sled and play.

Here are some pics from earlier today...

Some of us like this weather...

Much better than others...

QUACK!

*****

If you are interested in learning how to make and use leaf mold head on over to Not Dabbling in Normal to see my post on this amazing soil amendment!

Daisy Smile!

S M I L E!

Wood, Heat, and Miserable Northwest Weather

I spend entirely too much time complaining about the weather.

You see I live in Western Washington, the only place in the continental US with its own rainforest.

By March we all call the rain 'liquid sunshine' because we have forgotten what real sunshine looks like.

Most of the world has toe jam...we have webs between our toes...heck we even name our football teams after ducks (go Oregon Ducks!)

In other places men have hair removed from their backs...from our's its moss.

I could go on...but I said I already complained too much!

So today I'm going see my glass half full...although if I left it outside it would actually be full and overflowing...sorry

Really.

Anyway I'm thankful for...

I am grateful for all the trees that fall around here and all the trees that neighbors need to cut down.

I'm especially thankful when I'm warming my hiney by our woodstove.

And besides it gives me just another unique thing to point my camera at.

Which falls into a slightly less unique category than this...

 

But then again...most things do.

Hope you all are staying warm, cozy and dry this fine, albeit, wet day.

 

 

 

Loss, Time, and Healing

It has been 7 years ago today that I held my twin daughters for the first time.

It was 7 years ago today that I counted 20 tiny tiny fingers and 20 perfect toes.

7 years ago today I kissed two tiny heads in two impossibly tiny bonnets

7 years ago today I said hello and goodbye in the same halting breath...

*****

It was 7 years ago today that I thought I could never possibly be happy or whole again.

7 years ago today my heart was shattered.  I could not catch my breath for the pain was unbearable and never ending.

7 years ago I was sure I would never again see a day in my life without tears...

*****

7 years ago today God took me in His arms and started to heal me.

He didn't take the pain away but gave me the strength to live with it.

He didn't erase the memories of their birth but made me thankful for the short time I had with them.

He didn't take away my loss but added blessings to my life in ways I never thought possible.

For 7 years ago today Faith Elizabeth and Hope Katherine were born sleeping and 7 years ago today I became intimately aware of just how precious and fleeting life is.

How could it be 7 years since I've held you?

*****

Happy birthday my sweet, sweet girls.

I will never forget the lessons your short lives have taught me.

And I look forward to holding you again someday.

Love, your mama

*****

The Garden of What Might have Been.  Pt. 1

Loss of a Child and Forgiveness.  Pt. 2

Apartment Kitchen Bath Remodel done

As promised to you in yesterday's living room remodel post... here are the kitchen and bathroom in my mom's apartment.

Before...

White laminate countertops and shelving, a black and white floor that I had painted on the plywood 15 years ago...

I spent 4 days chipping off the Formica...darn stuff!  Then we cut back the bar for the overhang was just too much to support tile time without drooping...and we allow no dropping around here...ahem.

Then we tiled the countertops with 13 inch tiles.

We also removed the laminate shelving, replaced the stove, fan, and frig.

Then we made a back splash out of mosaic tiles of glass and stone with a tumbled marble pencil edging

The mosaic is fun to put up but a pain in the rear to grout because of the natural stone. It took us hours to get it out of the little holes in the stone!

We also tiled behind the stove.

We replaced the white laminate shelving with real wood which was stained and sealed, we used the same stain on the braces and the edges of the tile countertops which were trimmed in oak for durablitly. The cabinet hardware was also replaced.

I love how all her red just pops against the naural colors of the wood, stone and tile!

Bathroom before, old flooring, not vanity, in the process of painting.

New flooring, vanity, mirrors and lighting fixtures.

Back in the corner is a little storage cabinet and a countertop for folding clothes.  Her washer and dryer is also in the bathroom.  Small but efficient...with the best lighting in the whole apartment!

So there you have it...kitchen and bath done!

Stay tuned tomorrow for the rest of the apartment.

And may I say for the record, we have LOVED having mom living here with us...

Grandma rocks!

The Apartment Remodel is Done...the Living Room

Because I'm feeling a little full of spit and vinegar.

Because its Tuesday.

And because I can...

I'm going to reveal the completely remodeled above our garage apartment...

In stages.

No you don't get to see the whole thing today.

Bwahahah (insert evil laugh)

Besides there would just be too many pictures and my host might kick me off of here altogether!

So let's join hands and look back together at the 'before'

Up the stairs...which used to be painted red. 

The red paint was replaced by red carpet. Another handrail was added...safety first after all!  A poster of Seattle's Pike Place Market gives you a hint of the color explosion beyond the door.  But first...

This, my dear ones, is what 15 years, 5 kids and life can do to a space...shudder

This was what it looked like after 3 van loads to Goodwill, 1 van load to the Senior Center, and 2 trips to the dump.  Well the new flooring helped too!

Here is mom's new living room with rugs, furniture, pillows...and no junk!

And remember the red wall?

Ohhhh how I love the red wall!

I loved it when it was first painted.

I love it even more now with mom's warm furniture in place!

What an inviting place to sit and visit.  Of course being that she has satellite tv and we do not in the house (yes I am way too cheap and also have issues with TV and children) so when there is something we especially want to see, in high definition no less, we know where to come!

Notice the groovy screen behind the chair?

This screen?

Ohhh you won't guess what is behind this pretty...

She has hidden her freezer and vacuums behind that great screen...brilliant I say...simply brilliant!

One of the details I love the most is how her pussy willow branches look against the red wall...the contrast is wonderful.

As is the vase of red poppies against the white wall at the top of the stairs...add a little sunlight and they seem to glow!

Here is my very favorite spot in the whole apartment...

A little nook in a dormer under a western window.

Simple and quiet.

If the kids find me missing anytime in the future.

They will probably find me right here.

Curled up...

Enjoying the peace and quiet.

Shhhhhh........

Don't tell them!

*****

Stay tuned tomorrow for the kitchen and bath!

And if you want to read about the apartment remodel from the beginning...

Part 1

Part 2

Being Frugal, A Holiday Budget!

Good Monday all!

Today I'm over at Not Dabbling in Normal talking about setting up a Holiday Budget.

Hubby and I have just very recently paid off our mortgage...8 years early on a 15 year mortgage...yeah!

As wonderful as this is, it means we are quite broke going into the holidays.  So a detailed budget was in order.

Afterall...its not how much you spend at the holidays.

Its who you get to spend the holidays with!

*****

For those of you who don't know, Not Dabbling in Normal, is a blog I co-author that is full of down to earth articles on cooking, gardening, being frugal and living simply...so if you want to live a life that is just a little outside 'the norm' this blog is for you!

 

Leaves, leaves everywhere there's Leaves!

We are blessed with abundent moisture in Western Washington.

Therefore we are blessed with many, many trees.

Which means we are blessed with leaves...

Everywhere!

 

Which under certain circumstances.

Is a very good thing!

Remember how fun this is?

No?

Well then go jump in a big pile of leaves with your little ones...or big ones.

I promise.

You won't be sorry!

A Leaf on a Log and other Deep Thoughts!

Sometimes you just set out to get a photo of a pretty Autumn leaf

Then you notice that the log it is sitting on is interesting...

And then you see there is moss on the log...

And before you know it you have forgotten all about the leaf.

I could draw any number of analogies between this and my life...

How I flit from one thing to another.

or

How when someone gets sick you are forced to refocus.

or

How my laundry is never done because I keep refocusing on things way more fun

or...

I won't come up with any deep thoughts at all,

Because it all sounds like blah, blah, blahblahblah, to me right now.

Its hard to be deep when you have a dresser in the garage calling your name.

That's wanting to be painted turquoise

or

Fuchsia

or

Something equally fun.

As opposed to the laundry that just sits there and grumbles at me...

Darn laundry.

*****

Oh and by the way.

When I was photographing the moss my kids started doing this...

So I forgot all about the moss...

 

Shall we Play a Game?

Enough slaying of dragons and all that stuff.

Shall we Play a Game? (Meadow Lark was righ...War Games, Global Thermonuclear Warfar was the game little Matther Broderick played with the computer Joshua)

I will start, it is very simple...

What 5 things would make life perfect?

Here are my 5...

1. Li fe would be perfect if chocolate made me skinny
2. If the sun caused my skin to look younger
3. Breast feeding made my boobs perky
4. If children never moved away (unless you wanted them to!)
5. Life would be perfect if the camel would clean up his own poop!

 

So what about you? Can you list 5 things that would make your life perfect?

Oh and the movie...what game was played with Joshua that caused so much trouble? And who played it?

*****

Here we go guys...

Here is the first set from Alayne

1. If there were just 3 more hours in every day.

2. If sewing/craft rooms would clean themselves.

3. If everyone would accept and embrace (and allow) other peoples differences as long as no one was getting hurt.

4. If everyone would just smile and laugh a little more.

5. If we all thought of and said at least one nice complimentary thing to each other every day.

Next is from Meadow Lark

1) If the woodbox refilled itself.

2) Transporters... I'm just saying... TRANSPORTERS. No more traffic!

3) Home networks that consistently kept all computers actually networked.

4) Fewer calories in cheese

5) Personal trainer who came to my house and didn't charge.

Annie Chase and her top 5

1. Being able to get a masters, without having to go through grad school

2. Pizza, all day, every day -- without getting fat

3. Getting to see my nieces and nephews at least every weekend

4. Getting abs without doing sit ups and crunches

5. Learning without having to sit through these college classes.

Christy weighs in

-Respect was equally divided between all employees in a company

-A full nights rest only required 4 hours of sleep

-Kids always wanted some snuggle time

-Gas tanks automatically refilled when they got low

-Money grew on trees

Cathryn adds the classics!

1-If we could order the type of weather we wanted daily.

2- Children would wake themselves up on time in the morning and be cheery doing it!

3-Toilets cleaned themselves.

4-My home was attached to a library containing every classic work ever written.

5-And I had time to read them, as well as accomplish all the things I had on my list for the day.

Cathryn's 15 year old son's list

1- School was easy

2-My friends could always hang out

3- I had all the time in a day until I got bored then I would go to sleep.

4-I would have 100 puppies (Kim here...I've got a camel he could have!)

5-Always plenty of Krispy Kreme donuts to go around.

Mary on Facebook has her top 5

1. To actually get to sleep in on my "days off".

2. To lose weight just by not eating desert (like I used to)

3. Be able to get out of the shower, shake my head a couple times under the dryer and have perfect hair EVERYDAY.

4. If everyone realized that life is short and acted like they believe it.

5. If I could stretch time to last longer in my fun times.

Mia also on Facebook.

if the house would clean itself....

if the laundry would be done and put away on its own...

if I could see the hindsight before it becomes one...

if I had all the time in the world to do whatever it is that I want to do...

if I can wow my kids by answering ALLl the questions they have for me!

How to Drop your Amazon Membership

If anyone is interested here is how to drop your membership from Amazon dot com.

Go here

In the pull down menu pick 'Close my Account'

I would urge everyone that cancels to leave a reason for the cancellation

You might also want to reference this ASIN# : B0049U4CF6

*****

Here is the comment I left...

I am a long time customer as well as a Amazon Prime member.  I am canceling my account because although you state on your Content Guidelines Page,

"Amazon.com reserves the right to determine the appropriateness of items sold on our site."

You decided that 'The Pedophiles Guide to Love and Pleasure' (ASIN# : B0049U4CF6) was appropriate.  If a guide to having sex with children is not inappropriate, frankly I don't know what is.

I realize that you have pulled the book...but only after the outcry was so loud from decent society that you were worried for your bottom line.

Due to your cooperate irresponsibility to selling such a book in the first place, I must in good conscience drop my membership and no longer purchase from you.

Maybe someday when you change your policies I will be back...but not until

Kim mother of 5

Lighting a Fire Works! Amazon pulls Book. Now What?

Sometimes...just sometimes when you start a fire it takes off and spreads.

This can be a very good thing.

Yesterday our society got wind of a book called 'The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure' that Amazon dot Com was selling.

Yesterday the objections were twitted, facebooked, petitioned, blogged, networked, and news coveraged until our collective shouts were heard.

Last night the book was withdrawn from Amazon...whether by the Author or the company we do not know at this time.

Yesterday our society did what it is designed to do.  It protected those among us that cannot protect themselves.

We did not need to have government step in.

We did not need to bring a court case.

No, we just voted with our dollars and our words and we made a difference!

I am proud of everyone that was willing to forgo the convenience and money saving that Amazon offers to stand up for what they believe in.

It gives me faith in modern civilization.

What about me...will I go back to Amazon?

After researching Amazon's policy on what they are allowing on their site and I ran across this line in their content guidelines... here.

"Amazon.com reserves the right to make judgments about whether or not content is appropriate."

Amazon found the book to be 'appropriate'... until their bottom line was threatened.

Therefore I will not be shopping at Amazon until they issue some kind of apology and change what they deem appropriate.

Because to me a guide book for having sex (in any form) with children will not ever be appropriate, acceptable, or excusable.

So until then Amazon has lost one very good customer.

Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure. Amazon's responsibility

Update 8 pm Pacific time and Amazon has taken down the page (or it has crashed or something but I would like to think that Amazon decided it was not the responsible thing to have this up)  You can still search the book but it no longer has its own page for purchasing it!

*****

Warning not my usual blog-fare...

Insert Soapbox...

Sometimes you stumble across something that gets you so worked up that you spend your whole morning (and then some) trying to fix what you consider an egregious wrong.

I have learned that a business that I use a lot, that is based in my home state, is selling a book titled

'The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure'

It is Amazon dot Com.

I have not read the book which is now being offered on Amazon's Kindle ( I don't have a Kindle)

But this is what the Author has to say about it...

"This is my attempt to make pedophile situations safer for those juveniles that find themselves involved in them, by establishing certian rules for these adults to follow. I hope to achieve this by appealing to the better nature of pedosexuals, with hope that their doing so will result in less hatred and perhaps liter sentences should they ever be caught."

To say I was shocked by this was an understatement.  I contacted Amazon and received the following email...

Hello,
 
As a retailer, our goal is to provide customers with the broadest selection possible so they can find, discover, 
and buy any item they might be seeking. That selection includes some items which many people may 
find objectionable. Therefore, the items offered on our website represent a wide spectrum of opinions on a 
variety of topics.
 
Let me assure you that Amazon.com does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts; we do support the 
right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions.
 
Amazon.com believes it is censorship not to sell certain titles because we believe their message is 
objectionable. Therefore, we'll continue to make controversial works available in the United States and 
everywhere else, except where they're prohibited by law. We also allow readers, authors, and publishers to 
express their views freely about these titles and other products we offer on our website.

I am not here asking that government step in and censer books.  I am not asking for freedom of speech to be trampled.

I am asking for Amazon to practice some social responsibility

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

definition (business dictionary.com)

Obligation of an organization's management towards the welfare and interests of the society which provides it the environment and resources to survive and flourish, and which is affected by the organization's actions and policies.

And I am asking is that decent people stand up and let corporations know that we can and do vote with our dollars.  

I let Amazon know this morning (after I emptied my cart of Christmas gifts) that I would no longer be purchasing through them...and I have been a very long time customer.

They have been simply flooded by objections from their customers on this matter but have stood by their right to sell such filth.

We as a society are charged with protecting those that cannot protect themselves.  If we fail to do this then our society will collapse in a heap of uselessness

I for one will not stand idly by while someone tries to make having sex with a child socially acceptable.

And I will not use my hard earned dollars at a business that allows themselves to make a profit off of such.

Not now...

Not ever.

There is simply too much at stake.

 

 

There is a Truck on the Roof

Across a field of autumn leaves...

There is a tiny log cabin perched on the edge of our lake.

It is old and charming and quite mossy...

There is a truck permanently parked in the soft green moss of its roof.

For some strange reason seems completely fitting for me right now...

A perfect metaphor for my life of late.

Yes there is a truck on the roof...

and I'm perfectly OK with that.

 

 

Regarding Old Trees

Seeing a young sapling is like seeing hope for the furture...

But seeing an old tree is like looking into the branches of history.

Something that has been around for ages and with a little luck will be around long after I'm gone.

There is just something about trees that I find peaceful...there is much to be said about something that just is.

Something that does not worry about schedules, or chores, or expectations.

Sometimes it is good to just be.

Early Morning Beauty Silent Saturday

Borage in the early morning mist.

Even weeds look lovely on a morning like this!

I hope all is well with all of you.

May you have a lovely day...whether it be full of weeds or flowers!

 

Moving Day and Grass!

The apartment is almost finished...the sun is out.

So we are taking this break in the rain to move mom into her new digs above my garage!

I will be back with pictures at a later date.

But for now I'll leave you with some grass...

Grass you say?

Yep grass can be cool...even when it has nothing whatsoever to do with anything in particular to do with my day. 

 

Backlight for High Drama Photography

I am always hesitant to share photographic advice here because I have never taken a class, nor read a book...heck I don't even shoot in manual...that would require reading my manual...which I haven't gotten around to.  I've only owned my camera for 3 years...ahem.

Sigh

Someday.

But when I find something that I know and love I feel the need to share it with my beloved blog readers.

Yes I just called you 'my beloved'...

Which I suppose is not quite as weird as 'my precious'

Which would indicate some kind of weird obsession.

Something akin to Gollum and his ring fetish.

But I digress.

Here is my photographic tip for the day.

If you want high drama then go for backlighting!

Here is a perfectly lovely head of queen anne's lace from my garden.

But wait and see what happens when I change my position to put the newly risen sun closer to behind a flower.

Then directly behind...

Garden drama in the highest order!

Then add a spider web and you just about can't top it!

So go out today and take a photo of something that is backlit...

 

Preferably with sunbeams!

And may I also recommend whole=heartedly watching the Lord of the Ring Trilogy...it pretty much rocks!

"I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." Bilbo Baggins

That is all...

Carry on.

 

Reflecting on the Season

I like to whine and complain about all the dag-gum rain we get here in Western Washington...but there are some small perks from all the drippiness!

We pretty much have puddles on the driveway for at least 8 months of the year...

 

Which makes for some fun reflection shots...

Not to mention some of this...

So I will probably still grouse about the weather...I will also remember that behind every dark, stormy, gray cloud there is at least a small silver lining!