back in pieces

We're all home after our annual trip to Cornerstone festival. And I'd love to say we're rested but today and yesterday have really been an extension of vacation. I did manage to start the laundry. Well, actually, hubby started the laundry and I managed to lose steam on it. And today I made all our meals and got some groceries in the house to supplement our veg patch. But, really, not much has happened that needs to happen. And I guess I'm coming to terms with the idea that I am not cut out to be busy. I hate busy. It overwhelms me pretty quickly so after a week of busy, returning immediately to our busy lives here is daunting. I have long been amazed at the togetherness of so many mamas around me. Especially the ones who seem to have tidy, clean houses plus working all day long outside the home. I love tidy and clean. They are restful to me. But they don't seem to last more than a few hours around here. And this season with me working on the farm the few unscheduled days I had left, means that tidy & clean aren't even happening that often. So I obsess over how to make it happen (and I waste time online as well as daydreaming of a constant helper int he struggle for order) while in actuality, nothing happens.

sigh. Anyone want to come sort through my mountains of stuff for me? :D

Bounty

mpurppot2, originally uploaded by studor.

This is a little bit of what's been keeping me away from my computer! These gorgeous potatoes grew in our backyard. They are the first of the spring harvest (otherwise known as thinning the potato patch). Every time I cut one open I am amazed at how gorgeous they are!

Besides growing beautiful potatoes in the backyard veggie garden, we've been working a couple or three days a week at a local urban farm all spring and now summer. We started weekly days back in march and I feel like I've been hiding in a (sweaty, dirt covered) hole ever since! I *did* get some great sewing done. However, I have not taken pictures of it. Anyone who saw my Easter dress can attest that it's really cute, lol!

And I must confess I joined facebook which took what little computer time I have and gave me something other than my blog to squander it on! But, I'm over the newbie obsession so maybe now I can get back to posting. I have many, many thoughts on some of the things I am learning at out little farm... which is about the size of a really large garden but since we apply organic farming/growing techniques we'll allow the use of the word "farm". More soon... enjoy my beautiful potatoes!

This terrifies me. Is our government so absolutely in the pocket of industry?

I'm back...

I'll be posting the hand-bag tutorial in the next couple days plus I have oodles of clothes to share with you (Easter dress fun)! And I even have a "real" post of the contemplative kind kicking around in the back of my brain. But first, I must get through Easter weekend and do some serious backing up of all things important off this hard drive!

I'm alive!

I promise I'm still alive. My computer's power cord quit on me about a month ago and I've been trying to check email on hubby's computer in between his work (hard since he edits on the computer all day and much of the night). I do have the handbag tutorial coming up (pictures being held hostage by the powerless computer) and a couple re-fashions to share (again pics being held hostage). Soon, I promise, soon!

My favorite books... a comfortable list :)

Some friends & I have been sharing book lists on Facebook so I thought I'd share here, too. The criteria are: no repeat authors and to especially list the books you go back to over and again. When I sat down to write the list however, I realized that I was having a really hard time limiting myself to one book per favorite author. So this has become a list of favorite authors in some ways.

In writing this list a couple truths were pressed upon me: I prefer to read as an escape and really love fiction and fantasy (no surpirse there, but apparently most of my friends are less this way)! And I guess I'm also a romantic at heart (blush, blush). Though, there is little romantic about Flannery O'Connor and she is my #2!

Each of these books gets read almost every year, some of them more often than that. They are all dear to my heart and bring me comfort in their familiar words. I'd love to hear what your repeat reads are! Leave a me a comment with a link if you want to share :)

1. Jane Austen: Persuasion, Pride and Prejudice & Sense and Sensibility in that order, though I re-read her complete works about once a year.
2. Flannery O'Connor: the complete works of short stories
3. CS Lewis: The space trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, That Hideous Strength) over Chronicles of Narnia any day.
4. LM Montgomery: Anne of Green Gables, Anne of Avonlea and Anne of the Island :)
5. George MacDonald: The Princess & the Goblin, The Fisherman's Lady, The Marquis' Secret
   
6. Cold Sassy Tree, Olive Ann Burns
7. Gap Creek, Robert Morgan
8. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
9. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
   
10. Deerskin, Robin McKinley

February Goals

I feel compelled to share these here in the hopes that public humiliation will keep me accountable. Here goes:

In the month of February I am hoping

• to purge the house of 500 items of clutter
• to organize and consolidate my sewing closet (which is threatening to take over the house at this point)
  
• to regain control over the laundry (which is taking over what remains of the house)

So on March 1st I'll tell you how I did. Maybe I'll even have done it all!