Sunshine

I was nominated for the bloggy Sunshine Award by my blog friend Teresa of Affectionknit and The Vegan Version. Thank you!!! I haven't done one of these in quite some time and in the fast paced online world I think they are now kind of retro and I do enjoy them. Also, it is makes me feel nice.
Part of the Sunshine Award involves a little questionnaire of 10 favorite things. Truthfully I have trouble saying that anything is my favorite. However, for the sake of the award here are mine:



My list of favorites…you'll notice that it kind of breaks down and steers away from being a list of favorites in the middle there...it's free form I guess.

1. Favorite animal: On land my favorite animal is the gentle donkey. In the sea it is the manatee, how I desperately yearn for a tender manatee hug. In the sky my favorite animal is probably a Pegasus---please don't roll your eyes---the seven year old girl still lives inside of me and I don't dare remind her that the Pegasus is not real.
2. Favorite number: I love all numbers with equal fervor.
3. Favorite non-alcoholic drink: Pink lemonade is the nectar of life. Seriously, hook it to my veins.
4. Facebook or Twitter:  I use Facebook a bit. Mostly I just make hilariously witty posts every few days. Oh and I use it to email friends who probably wouldn't appreciate super-long text messages.I don't tweet.
5. My passion: I don't really have a single passion or a favorite passion. I am passionate about being the best wife and mother I can be. I am passionate about maintaining and cultivating my relationships with family and friends. I am passionate about art. I am a lover of music, sadly not much of a maker. I have faith in something greater than myself and I feel passionate about that. I love reading and writing. I love nature. Of course animal right's and veganism are passions that I hold at the center of my being. Umm...I could keep going, I think the best way to look at it is that I have a passionate feeling about most everything.
6. Getting or giving: I think the easy and expected answer here is giving. I certainly feel most comfortable giving. However, getting or receiving something with grace is probably much more difficult and I admire people who do it well and I aspire to do the same, be it in the receiving of a gift/ time/attention/etc.
7. Favorite Pattern: Male pattern baldness. Oh you mean with sewing...I have never completely followed a pattern in my life.
8. Favorite day of the week: I don't have a normal work schedule, nor does my family, so I don't really have a specific day that is better than all of the others. I guess I love all of the days of the week.
9. Favorite flower:  Flowers are absolutely amazing to me. I really love the first dandelions, the tulips that come up through the snow, the heady scent of blooming lilacs, the rich fragrance of roses (plus we share a name), the delicate beauty of orchids, the cheerful nature of daffodils. Who can have a favorite?
10. Favorite country: I don't have a favorite country, that's weird.  While I do appreciate all that I have been given here in the U.S. I find the whole notion of patriotism to be rather limiting.

The final portion of the blog award is to nominate 10 others to receive it, but I don't like to choose favorites (in case you didn't notice) so I am nominating all of you. Please feel free to answer the questions in the comments or make your own post. I'd love to read a bit more about you.

A Little Change Will Do Us Good

Maybe it is because my childhood was full of constant change, but I have always had to prepare myself a bit for change. We moved a lot when I was young. I'm not complaining because I think it really helped me to be a bit more outgoing and resilient. I do have early memories of my mother preparing me for change. She would even prepare me if she was to get a new haircut, although this may have been to save herself from the exclamatory remarks of unprepared children. She would explain to me what was happening and why and then she'd generally put a positive spin on it, making the whole experience seem like nothing more than an awesome event to anticipate. Most importantly she'd give me the tools to deal with the change, even small ones. She still does this to some degree, which is appreciated---not everything changes.

Don't get me wrong I often embrace change, it is really an exercise in futility to pretend that things can/would/should stay the same. Life is really marked by change isn't it? Graduation, marriage, children, etc. those are the markers of change.

So, tell me does all of this talk about change have your palms sweating? Are you running through scenarios of where I might be taking all of this change talk? Well, really I am dramatically over-hyping the change that will be coming here in the New Year, but I wanted to prepare you lest you become confused on New Year's Day and think you've stumbled into some alternate blogging universe.

Are you ready for this?

Really ready?

Nothing has changed yet....so don't panic, but I will have a new blog header on the first.

There, I've said it! I feel good about it. How do you feel about it?

Eric and I have been tossing around ideas for some time now and we finally settled on one. Eric is my blog header designer you see. Last night we did a little photo shoot---the following photos really give you no indication of what the final design is, but I thought I'd share.



Naturally the whole family was involved and when you take our crew things can get a bit crazy. There were multiple outfit changes for all parties as we settled on our design. There was laughter. Bumblebee begged for food and attention, preferring to place herself right at my feet no matter where I was. Then Cordelia joined in and started up her chant of,"Wanna hold me." I admitted that I did not want to hold her at that very minute. She did not take it well...



So I gave in and held her and pretended to cry as well (I really should write a parenting book don't you think?) and soon those tears turned into fake cry-laughing and then all was well with the world. We finished up the photo shoot. I was apparently the most challenging to photograph as I am a bit of a wiggler/shifter and I tend to "make crazy eyes," according to Eric.

Eric stayed up late designing an awesome new blog header which I cannot wait to share with you, so for now just consider yourself prepared for change. January first the new blog header is coming at you!

Weird and Random

So today I have gone weird and random. Some of this stuff is good information, other stuff may leave you scratching your head...mostly it is just a bunch of stuff that I keep meaning to share with you....

First, and most importantly, you may have heard me mention the Copelands a few thousand times. Victoria Copeland (1/2 of the pair) has started her own awesome blog, Sixteen Cakes. Check it out. You will love her!

I recently discovered this blog, which is entirely focused on organization. Perhaps you don't know this about me, but I long to be organized...it's just not in my blood. When I see people who have folders and files and systems I feel like I've shot through something of a dimensional portal into a world that makes strange and logical sense. Anyway, I got all jazzed up by this blog and I have spent the past few days organizing. You see I have no difficulty using a good system, it's the set up that kills me. I will start to organize, but then I think about how much better things would be if I first painted them... So, I started my own family folder (like this post) and now I am thinking that there may be hope for me yet. Admittedly I spent a good deal of time on decorating, but I think I am getting somewhere.

My brother Ben is something of a wild guy. Growing up he was always doing dangerous (crazy) things. Even a few years ago he decided to row in a boat across Flathead Lake (it's huge) with no sunscreen or water. He thought (thinks) he can run faster than cars. He generally has always loved to terrify me with his antics. Anyway, he recently sent me this video with a note that read, "I'm practicing this stunt."



My favorite part is when he whistles.

Not to be outdone, my other brother Sam recently sent me this video in a text. He is using a leaf blower to push himself around on a stool



Finally, since we seem to have downgraded into how weird my family is...here is a post that my mother recently wrote. Wait until the very end, makes me laugh hysterically to think she took that photo!

So, what is weird and random in your life today?

What's Good

Here is a short list of the things that are currently making me very happy:

Today is the first day of Fall. I loooove Fall. I noticed that the trees were all beginning to turn, some had already given up all of their leaves.

Earlier this week the kids (to read about them click here) had set up a fire pit in the middle of the sidewalk out front. They had taken large stones, arranged them in a ring and piled a bunch of sticks inside. Thankfully they did not try and start up a fire!

I invented a recipe for a vegan butternut squash soup that was so delicious. I love when that happens.

We got to spend some time with our friend Irish and her baby. Nice to spend time with friends.

My blog got a make-over. In case you hadn't noticed.

The cats have been snuggling with each other a lot. I think it has something to do with the changing weather, but it is super-sweet.

Speaking of animals, our mouse has been very busy lately. I think he has moved into the bushes just outside our porch. Ophelia and Bumblebee have been keeping careful watch.