Romping with the young-un's

Saturday and Sunday was spent with my nieces - a 'sleepover' at Auntie Sue's!

The three of us went to The Painted Plate in downtown Olympia where we each painted a ceramic what-not. I'll pick them up later this week, fired and ready to use. What a fun way to take advantage of a rainy Saturday.


As always, we hit the Children's Museum. I love their arts and craft room. Bins of odd & ends are available for crafting. Everything from fabric scraps to wall paper to unused small milk cartons to sticky electrodes used for medical tests (also unused) and then some. Imagination is encouraged and it is fun to see what they create. I wonder how many children do not have the opportunity to create at home because of busy scheduling or lack of resources?

Sophie's creation - a fabric banner.

In the vet's office. Doesn't this doggie look like Otis?

I decided to work on purging my ephemera supply (so I can begin collecting more). I have a stiff little book whose pages I'm filling with bits and pieces of ephemera. I'm trying to figure out how to create an aged look.....

How amazing that I found a line in an old letter that reads, "today is fine can see land"!

I also started a new journal called 'Crazy Love'.

Mr. Darcy's famous words, "You must allow me to tell you how ardently I love and admire you."

This was fun. A very thin, old piece of leather that I made into somewhat of a three dimensional book.

That darn ice!

Those of you who have walked the neighboring campground with me will lament its sad state due last month's ice storm. Not only is the property covered with broken branches but downed trees block pathways and occupy camping spaces.

Each campsite is full of debris. I feel for Perry and crew. They have their work cut out for them before opening day Memorial Day weekend. (They own another campground, too, with similar damage.)

Remember my gorgeous-in-the-fall sugar maple?


I cried when I saw this.

After making a phone call to neighbor Perry, a self taught arborist, and with Nick's help one Saturday, we butched it. It looks a bit gnarly (and pathetic) but hopefully the tree has been saved and, in time, will reclaim its splendor.

On to a happier topic....

I recreated a page from my art journal and it became a canvas for Stephanie for Valentine's Day. I'm thinking I need to create one for my wall.

New chicken on the block

Three different times this morning I heard loud cackling from a hen who just laid an egg. And three different times I gathered a fresh, warm egg from its nest of straw while thanking the feathered girl who created it.


Recently I was told that all store bought eggs are treated with formaldehyde. I did a quick google search and found that for sanitation purposes, a formaldehyde gas is applied to the eggs (I cannot confirm or deny the all part of the claim.) Most eggs have a little bit of poop on their shells so I understand the need for sanitation. But formaldehyde...really?

My coop has a newcomer. Friend Coe's coop is still overcrowded so I accepted one of his docile hens. (You might remember that my first foray into fostering one of Coe's chickens eventually led to the chicken's demise....) This hen has a sweet nature thus far and if she can endure the rude and haughty manner of my clique-ish girls, I think she'll fit in just fine.

The haughty ones

Due to the overcrowding in Coe's coop, the hens pecked each others tail feathers clean off. So, so at first glance Barebutt (an unfortunate moniker that seems to be sticking) looks a bit disproportionate. And her hiney is not a pretty sight. Please, please tell me that tail feathers grow back!


Barebutt's exposed anatomy has answered a longtime question of mine. Does it hurt a hen to lay an egg? The area around Barebutt's ..... er.... poop hole appears to be a cavity about the size of a quarter. It's covered with skin and feathers so we don't see it (nor would we want to.....) Thus, I postulate that hens feel no pain when laying eggs!

See ya!

back to the 'ol routine

After two, rock-my-world weekends away from home, I'm happy to once again engage in routine tasks that ground me; waking up slowly while sitting in my easy chair by the fire, gaining control over the contents of my 'in' box at work, and puttering outside while noticing tiny buds of daffodils peeking through the dirt.

My three BFF's and I met at Laurie's beautiful home in Meadow Vista, CA for our annual girl's retreat.

Our retreats have morphed from talking all day and continuing into the wee hours of the morning (1995 - Elizabeth, CO) to a less frenzied, doable pace that enables us 'mature' women to get our beauty sleep at night. 30 years of friendship are precious and I absolutely treasure these women.

How beautiful is this avocado omelet eaten in a quaint restaurant in Auburn, CA?

I was home for less than two days before heading to Bend, OR for a 3 day class on essential oils. Beautiful weather, high energy, enthusiastic friends and therapeutic grade, aromatic mind and health altering essential oils made for a happy weekend. I came home with new found knowledge & enthusiasm to incorporate more of these oils into my daily life.

I'm itching to get back into my studio. I bought some grundged book covers from friend Kathleen's shop to utilize in a new art journal.


Kathleen and I share a common love - finding & repurposing items in our art. She is the ultimate junker and is now selling her finds via a couple of online shops. Find one of her shops, The Paperista, here.

One last thing, perhaps the most exciting: I'm going to be a grandma again!