maine momma

walk with me

2009-11-09T22:00:00.003-05:00

yesterday was the kind of fall day i dream about.

sunny.

warm, 62 degrees warm. :)

sweatshirt only weather.

we took a drive up the coast to wolfe's neck woods state park in freeport, and walked the long way around.

"the road to a friend's house is never long." - danish proverb

my dear faraway friend dani and i are contemplating a walk series. she and i taking turns doing a visual walk. we dream of guest walkers to take us places we can only dream. we have yet to iron out any real details, but a week ago i sent her my first walk (from my door to our post office collecting nature along the way) and she in turn sent me hers. it was like walking arm in arm together.

simple mini slideshows of a walk, any walk, a way to share in each other's worlds.

she in the pacific northwest and i here in the far northeast.

2 nature loving, fresh air breathing, sunshine seeking friends, sharing walks with a country between them. we hope this project keeps us walking during the darker colder wetter months of winter yet to come.

would you like to walk with us? i hope so. here is a slideshow from my walk yesterday with my family. rocky coastline, winding woods, green earth, leaf carpet, osprey nest, and warm sun peeking through the tall tall trees and sparkling on the water.

walking shoes on? here we go! --->

happy

2009-11-06T11:26:00.007-05:00

indeed it is a happy friday.

ahhh the difference a day makes.

do i dare say i feel a little better? i do!

i can breathe through one side of my nose! this is huge. isn't it true that when we have our health we sure can take it all for granted, but when we are laid up and hit hard by illness we sure notice the little things when they start to come back. breathing is good, no headache is good, smelling food cooking in my crock pot, yum! i am so grateful. hope your friday is happy and healthy too! oh and this most adorable smiley pola above? well that sweet little smiling square traveled from the pacific northwest all the way to the northern east coast. sweet talented friends sure do make the world a happy place!

xo dani

"lame"

2009-11-05T09:22:00.004-05:00

has anyone seen monsters vs. aliens?

we have.

and in my best gallaxhar voice, i feel "LAME."

still sick. it comes in waves.

feel a little better... wait a minute ... feel worse... (repeat)

blech.

at least there is a lot of pola love to be had this week.

and soup.

yum.

oh and i just saw kellen over here! (thanks ladies)

giving his wishes wings....

rawr!

2009-11-04T15:26:00.004-05:00

la la la it's roid week!

happy bench monday

2009-11-02T15:58:00.003-05:00

bench monday the infirm jack-o-lantern edition...

or happy jacks.

we just cannot kick these germs in our home..

kellen seems almost 100%, but casey has had a relapse and now hives (she almost always gets hives when a bad virus grabs her. poor thing) and now i got it. i mean really what did i expect when i slept with, wiped noses of, got coughed on by, the little people i love in my home for the past 2 plus weeks. i drank LOTS of oj and took my vitamins and drank water and washed my hands a lot, i was just bound to lose the battle. so here i sit, puffs plus lotion is my new best friend. (for real, how did i live 36 years without lotion in my tissues???) i clearly remember the chaffing and chapping that blowing your nose usually brings, so THANK YOU puffs! i wasn't feeling inspired to jump on a bench at all, but then i remembered the sad looking jack-o-lanterns sitting on our stoop which are destined for the trash man tomorrow. they are quite slimy, rain logged, and growing some serious mold inside. i figured they deserved one last hurrah before they go. so here we are, all looking a little bit infirm. happy monday everyone.

trick or treat!

2009-10-31T22:25:00.006-05:00

halloween happiness

(click happiness for a slideshow)

we truly lucked out this halloween. it was a balmy 65 degrees! so instead of having to layer under, or cover over their costumes, they could just put them on as is. they were a butterfly and darth vader this year. kellen had settled on his choice months ago so i picked that up first chance i could. casey was undecided between a white kitty and a butterfly, finally settling on a butterfly. the forecast was threat of rain by 5pm so we dressed a bit earlier than normal, went to my mom's house first, then home to walk a loop around our block. casey RAN from house to house, kellen following behind her. they both get tongue tied at each house, forgetting what exactly it was they were supposed to say. kellen was so thrilled to run around with his light saber he practically glowed. and as an extra treat, daddy loaded darth vader's theme song on his ipod and played it from his pocket as we walked house to house. it was quite cool.

kellen was just as excited to hand out candy as he was to get candy. he sat on our stoop (which he completely decorated himself today with paper ghosts, spiders, and pumpkins) waiting and waiting for anyone to come. finally we got a few kids and his night was complete.

they both fell right asleep after crashing from a major sugar buzz.

it was a happy halloween indeed.

365... the end

2009-10-29T18:36:00.007-05:00

grat·i·tude (grāt'ĭ-tōōd', -tyōōd') n. The state of being grateful; thankfulness.

(365 done!)

"Gratitude is noticing the extraordinary in the ordinary. And then taking the nanosecond to feel it."

-Karen Krakower Kaplan

(i do have so much to say about the year and this project, but for today i will just let it be. i promise to gather my thoughts another day and share them.)

wordless wednesday

2009-10-28T06:00:00.000-05:00

simple things

2009-10-26T21:46:00.004-05:00

my sick little boy received a phone call today from his kindergarten teacher.

just a hello and feel better call.

let me tell you, his face lit right up!

what a smile he had.

thank you mrs. falvey.

what a very bright spot in his sick day.

you made him feel so very special.

and it warms my momma heart too, so very much.

it truly is the simple little things that can really make someone's day.

still

2009-10-25T22:40:00.003-05:00

still sick that is. can you believe it? i honestly cannot. i thought it was a virus and that it would have run its course by now. casey started LAST saturday with the fever. then wed kellen was too sick for school. now here i sit, at almost midnight, listening to my babies coughing down the hall in their restless sleep after a full week of this. kellen missed 3 days of school, and he will surely be home with me again tomorrow. casey seemed to be improving on thursday, but now is back to congested and coughing. so tomorrow i will call our doctor. i hope he can help. or at least assure me that we are doing all we can. i feel like we are, but i want them healthy again. no more. germs be gone! anyone else suffering these terrible germs? i am sure we are not alone.

happy

2009-10-23T15:21:00.005-05:00

indeed.

thank you for yesterday.

thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!

can you see my smile?

i wish you could, it is a good one.

then i had a lovely night with my hubby.

and even though my little ones are sick they are home and happy and we even took a little trip in the car to ogunquit today to meet a new friend, dawn, together. (i got to meet her myself on tuesday) and they each had a big cinnamon roll and played bottle cap hockey with our new friend. and we walked and saw all these great halloween decorations together (one was a talking pirate he was a huge hit!). then dawn and her family had to be on their way back to warm north carolina, so kids and i parked down at the beach and walked the cove since the tide was way out. they were both so happy (as long as tissues were provided) and they collected shells and broken bits of sand dollars and kellen threw sand back into the ocean and they were all rosy cheeked (it was brisk at the ocean!) and the sun was shining, it was just so good. and i heard this song on the radio on our way home with both my babies sound asleep in the backseat from all that great sun and fresh salt air, and it made me smile and sing. so i thought i'd do a mini playlist for this happy day. i have totally dropped my ball on my 52 weeks of playlists, oh well. some things you just have to let go of, that is one of those things. but for today here is the song that brought a smile to my face. maybe it will yours... i hope you feel happiness today. happy feels good. have a great weekend. xo!

dreamgirl - dave matthews band (the song that played in the car today)
dreams - brandi carlile (love her)
precious love - james morrison (oh his voice and old school sound)

leaping!

2009-10-22T06:00:00.001-05:00

i have some big beautiful news to share with you...

come see me taking the leap here!

just momma me, who not so long ago fell head over heels for something called photography.

what a crazy wonderful journey life is.

thank you sisters.

so very grateful.

so please join me today over at shutter sisters.

cheers!

and if you are so inspired, go on out and jump for joy. then take a picture of it for me. :)

magnetic mantra

2009-10-20T12:39:00.007-05:00

today is a day i would like a do-over please.

really.

F A I L.

most days i hold it together. today knocked the wind right out of me.

i'd gather myself and the tears would come pushing back out. i wiped my raccoon eyes (yeah i rarely ever wear mascara but today i was feeling a little pretty and put some on. that'll teach ME to wear make up!) i sat here at my lap top and received a needed email from a friend, and then clicked here and read this and laughed and cried all at once. yes, "life IS weird." (thank you mere) and sometimes, just when you need it, the universe answers, and you get a little laugh. and then you find yourself searching your house for YOUR magnet that once spoke to you...

and then you hold it up to the sunlight.

because at least you have that today. cold rain might have sent this day straight over the edge.

fear less,

hope more.

eat less,

chew more.

whine less,

breathe more.

talk less,

say more.

love more, and all good things will be yours!

-swedish proverb

setbacks and successes

2009-10-18T21:11:00.007-05:00

our weekend was a bit of a roller coaster ride.

just when you think you have some nice plans in place, good ol' murphy's law steps on your toes.

friday we baked cookies for kellen's school bake sale.

setback #1 - adding candy corns before baking the cookies. they melted like hot lava and burned holes straight through the cookies. luckily we had NOT put them on all the cookies so we did have plenty to take to the next day's bake sale = success.

saturday i woke early to take taylor to her job (dunkin donuts opens early peeps!), i swung by my mom's to pick up her donation of spooky cupcakes for the festival. i then dropped off all the baked goodies with the PTO ladies, came home to get everyone else ready to go to the festival. we all go out and pile in my car, (mind you this is a car i have had only 2 weeks since my minivan was dying a painful death) key in ignition, fail! it will not start. not a sound. nada= setback #2! no time to figure out why, we pile in hubby's jeep and head to the festival. it was sunny and cold. kids had super fun picking their pumpkins, and having their faces painted. casey a pumpkin and kellen a ghost. though you could tell casey was not feeling so well. we headed home and carved the pumpkins (success). kellen drew his life size scarecrow and hung it on the door which then proceeded to freak out our dog, bayley. (she is a big fat lab afraid of a paper scarecrow) so much so, her hair was on end and she was barking at it. for a scarecrow i say that was a success! we head outside for a little leaf piling and jumping, another success.
now casey is really not looking good. runny nose, fever, pale, whining, you get the picture. we decide that she and kellen should sleep in separate rooms just in case. (they normally share one small bedroom and right now their twin beds are up against each other like a big double bed. it is really cute.) so kellen slept with me and daddy took casey watch in her room. (she is a daddy's girl, which is totally fair since kellen can be a momma's boy). she, and subsequently her daddy, had a rough night. coughing and choking and then at 5 am throwing up. BIG SETBACK :( poor little one. i am not sure there is ever anything worse than seeing your small one sick and so sad. you just want to make it better. so we are all up at 5 am stripping the bedding, and casey, and washing everything, then tucking her back in for a few more hours we hoped. i had to get up again to take taylor to work again at 7 am. kellen came with me. then once back home i convinced him we were not playing, we were most certainly going back to bed. reluctantly for him, we did. and we all slept til 9 am. (sigh) now it is sunday, we are ALL weary, casey is still not 100% but she wakes smiling and hungry with a little pep in her. so we waited out the morning gauging whether or not to try and go to the concert we had bought for them as a surprise. the morning went well enough we decided to give it a try. so pajamas on (it was a pajama party) and stuffed animals in hand we headed out (in the jeep again) made it in time for the concert and they really had fun. certainly not the jumping dancing casey we figured we would see. she opted to sit on her daddy's lap the whole time, but was smiling and singing along and clapping away. success. laurie berkner and her band were really great live.when we left the theater it was a cold rain, and by this evening the rain had turned to our first snow. yes that is early. to me this is a setback but to 2 little ones in my house, this is a success. :)

just shows it is all in the eye of the beholder.

still waiting to hear from dawn.

still not sure what is up with my car.

*** just heard from dawn and if mr. murphy (and his law) will leave us all alone for a day or 2, i hope to get to meet her in person soon.

plans!

2009-10-16T10:15:00.003-05:00

(casey at last year's festival)

it is wintry cold outside.

oh my.

nasty weather aside, i will focus on our weekend plans.

today: sugar cookie baking and decorating for...

tomorrow: the elementary school's fall festival & bake sale. (last year)

kellen is super excited because i have been putting off getting a pumpkin to carve until the festival. i figure if i am going to spend money on a pumpkin anyway, i may as well spend the money where it will benefit his school. this has been almost as hard as waiting for his birthday. he just loves to decorate more than anyone i know.

except maybe martha stewart.

so yes, saturday,wake up, go to festival,

pick perfect pumpkins for carving,

eat some baked goods (see above),

get faces painted,

then home to carve those pumpkins.

also making a ghost to hang outside somewhere out of an old sheet of mine,

and a kellen size scarecrow. we are going to trace him on paper and he will draw the scarecrow. i am sure this will result in 2 scarecrows because you know casey will insist on being traced as well.

then sunday: taking kids this surprise in our pj's! (LOL)

then coming home and waiting for a call from my flickr friend dawn who is coming from the warm south to the cold north to see my little corner of maine and eat lobster with butter! :)

then monday hang out with dawn on a bench. sweet!

i love plans.

plans are fun.

happy friday everyone!

secret heart

2009-10-15T07:42:00.003-05:00

" the secret is not in your hand or your eye or your voice, my aunt once told me. the secret is in your heart. of course , she said, knowing that doesn't make it any easier."
- story people

happy love thursday

finding comfort in...

2009-10-13T10:39:00.005-05:00

...last night's dinner of meat loaf & mashed potatoes all swimming in gravy.

then warm chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven for dessert. (i cheated they were pillsbury slice and bake) but hey, they were warm soft and gooey, and made everyone smile.

this morning, my cup of coffee, but also a warm glass of cider and honey wheat toast for breakfast.

listening to this cd on repeat.

all the while preparing tonight's meal of pork roast simmered in sauerkraut (in my crock pot. i love my crock pot come fall. makes my whole house smell delicious.) served with more mashed and corn.

and maybe, just maybe, apple pie to finish off those orchard apples.

all while wearing socks and a sweater and really wanting to climb back under my covers...

it is rainy chilly typical new england fall day. the kind of day you feel in your bones. the kind that make me wish for a wood stove to light and read by.

it is beginning; the turning in, the early dark nights, the wet days.

what are you finding comfort in today?

a walk in the woods...

2009-10-12T20:58:00.006-05:00

...is just so good.

kellen had a vacation day today, so after lunch we explored a new to us trail. perfect for my little hikers. they instantly found their own walking sticks, (or trail blazing stick if your name happens to be kellen. he likes to whack stuff.) and went right on ahead of me. they never hesitate at all. they climb, they run, they turn things over, and find treasures, collect leaves, listen for animals and birds. it is really a blessing to just watch them go at it all, full of excitement and wonder. watching them reminds me to get down low to seek out the small things and look up high for possibilities. you miss a lot if all you ever do is look straight ahead. i much prefer their way of slowing down and seeing it all, and of course i love when they slow down together and hold hands.

it was a really nice monday together.

i still really miss this togetherness with him away at school during our days.

yay for vaca days!

commencement ceremonies

2009-10-11T20:43:00.008-05:00

oh yes, fall is now on!

leaf~

raking

blowing

piling

running

jumping

throwing

crunching

(repeating) :)

yes fall is now truly official here at our house.

we have really BIG trees in and surrounding our yard.

LOTS of trees.

so leaves we are not scarce on.

let the celebrating begin.

smitten

2009-10-09T21:08:00.006-05:00

fall in my hood...

and in theirs... i am forever a summer girl at heart,

but is there anything more beautiful than fall?

happy fall loving weekend.

i'm baaaaack

2009-10-08T22:30:00.003-05:00

let's say i believe in the power of those apple cape~less superheroes!

my lap top is back and running and DAYS before they predicted.

high 5 apple dudes, high 5! and thank you....

i took a walk with kellen in the woods today too.

i'd say it was a stellar day then.

technical difficulties

2009-10-07T07:45:00.002-05:00

i will be scarce around here this week.
my laptop got all wonky on me and is now sent away for repairs.
the apple guy said maybe i'd get it back by the weekend, but more likely early next week.
we do have a pc here at home (hubby's) but i feel lost on it now after getting so accustomed to my apple. funny huh? luckily i still have my camera to keep my hands busy, and 3 kids a hubby and 1 dog. :)

speaking of apple guys, have you ever been to an apple store? i had never been til yesterday. how slick is that store? and their shirts? very clever. my "repair specialist's" shirt said, "not all superheroes wear capes." LOL too funny. clever apple marketing team...

see ya soon i hope!
whenever my capeless superheroes return my laptop....

hit the pause button please

2009-10-05T08:02:00.006-05:00

there is no denying it. fall is here. really here. but geesh what is its hurry???!!! it sure feels like this fall is on fast forward. one day green, the next day it looked like this, and in a week or 2 those will all be bare! ACK! slow down fall, please! i am not ready for the stark landscape of winter. not yet. alas i cannot stop time or even pause it. i guess i'll go bake more pie. yeah fall, and the thought of what comes next, makes me bake. (and cook, and eat) good, but not good. at least the clouds seemed to have parted today. perhaps i should go find a bench and hop up. that has to be better for me than baking and eating.

happy monday

UPDATE:

did find a bench.

did NOT bake more pie.

maybe tomorrow. lol

a color FULL week

2009-10-02T09:22:00.007-05:00

this week was autumn color week over at poppytalk.

monday-yellow

tuesday-green

wednesday-orange

thursday-brown

friday-red

it was so fun to play along.

made me appreciate the beautiful colors of fall emerging all around me.

check out the colorful pool.

happy friday everyone

have a yummy weekend.

kiss more.

2009-09-30T08:58:00.002-05:00

yes kiss more.

fight less.