garden of eatin'

i have a very small herb garden that has grown over a bit in the last few years. i pulled a bunch of weeds out and realized that the soil was needing more care than i had time to give. so i decided to grow this season's plants in pots. in the fall, when the plants are spent, i will add the soil to the garden bed for next year.

this year, i replaced the sage i had let get choked out and also catnip and basil. i know basil is supposed to be an annual, but i have had it return in past years. oh, i dearly love basil! i tried to find some purple basil but was unsuccessful. if you have never smelled purple basil (purple ruffles), you NEED to! it is SO good, more intense than regular basil. i really miss it!

i have also planted parsley, curly and flat leaf. and tomatoes-lots of tomatoes! i have patio, cherry, big beef and roma maters. i planted yellow bell peppers and a cute little yellow ball cucumber.

i have been waiting patiently and today, have eaten my first cherry tomato-YUM!! can't wait for those first big tomatoes...get the bacon and lettuce ready!!

meet prince rupert:"uh, hello, nice to meet you. have ya got any flies?"

grateful for:
1. the pleasures of a garden
2. fresh veggies and herbs
3. time to reflect

of royalty and loyalty

i love purple. ALL purples- lavender, plum, lilac, violet, aubergine, etc. i did not always love purple. when i was a little girl, i had to have everything green. green cup, green toothbrush, green bike, whatever- it had to be green. but somewhere into my middle school years (i think), the color of choice became purple.

now, if you look into what our color choices symbolize or mean, personality-wise, it can be pretty surprising. this is what i found for the color purple:

Purples are highly individual, fastidious, witty and sensitive, with a strong desire to be unique and different. (ZACTLY!!) Temperamental, expansive and artistic, a Purple person may become aloof and sarcastic when misunderstood. (oh yeah, this i know!) Mysterious is a word that describes you perfectly. You like power and royalty and wish to enlighten others with your wisdom. (as in "wise-ass!)You are a faithful partner but can be cruel with your words. (indeed-loyal and cru-el!) If you chose Purple, you tend to be unconventional, tolerant and dignified, likely to achieve positions of authority. (ok, unconventional-yes, tolerant, dignified and likely to achieve positions of authority? hahahahahaha, i am falling off my chair!)

but basically, it is correct.

my second favorite color is red. but not all shades of red. here is what "they" have to say about the color red:

If your favorite color is red, you are a passionate person. Red people are usually optimistic and can’t stand monotony; they are rather restless and not at all introspective. (all true, except for the not introspective part, i AM!) Red people may be impulsive, possibly athletic, sexy and given to mood swings. Falling victim to lust is a position you may find yourself in frequently. (notice the sexy part!) (it would be helpful to be athletic if you are constantly FALLING victim!)You are determined to experience life to its fullest. (um, well..NOT!)


so there you have it- purple and red, the colors of royalty and SEX!! i knew it all along!

grateful:
1. for piles of unread books
2. mail order catalogs to dream about
3. little boys with fresh, little boy haircuts

tractors in my undies-oh my!!

so, i walked into my bedroom this morning to find THIS.....


four tractors in my unmentionables drawer! BOYS!!!!!!

grateful for:
1. that crazy kid
2. an afternoon with a friend
3. air conditioning- i cannot say it enough!

i like how the day sounds

sometimes, while living here in the hellhole, in our small town, in the south, in my small existance- i miss out on things. oh, i'm not talking about big things like electricity or running water. but little things.

like for instance, our household has no type of television cable or dish hook-up, so we miss out on the popular shows that folks like to talk about. i have never seen grey's anatomy, true confession. i'm sure it's a great show; my friend,v, never misses an episode. but...as i have never seen it, i can't really miss it! right?

the same cannot be said for music. i listen to pandora when i'm in the house and to sirius radio in the car. i rarely hear a radio station and so don't know what is the current music playing. as a result, i do miss an artist or song that might have been meaningful to me.

recently, while watching an episode of army wives (on the computer!), i heard a song that prompted me to discover the title and artist. of course, i googled the lyrics and came up with greg laswell. i then looked up the title "how the day sounds" on youtube and was treated to the full song and it's very fun video. apparently, the cd, three flights from alto nido, was released in 2008. so, for two years, i have missed hearing this awesome song. not to worry, in the few days since i found it, i have played that video over and over many times! (in fact, it's playing right now)

so if you already knew about this band, congrats to you! if not, please do yourself a favor and (after you finish reading this post) follow the link to youtube and watch the video- over and over!

how the day sounds (i tried to embed the video here but could not get the code)

grateful:

1. for the discovery of this band
2. for the torrential downpour that watered my garden
3. especially for the few seconds that kaye hesitated going through that intersection yesterday. it may have saved her life!

not too hot for this dude

t.willie received a new book in the mail. he thought he'd settle down on the porch to read it. in the 97 degree heat.

he is one cool dude.

(oh, and those are the end tables i got at a yard sale for five bucks. that's cool too)

grateful today:
1. for new friends
2. for old friends
3. heck, let's be real, i'm grateful for anyone that wants to hang with me!

hot as hell, oh, hot as hell!!!

happy solstice! happy first official day of summer!

okay, i'm over it. can we have fall now? i mean, what is with the temperatures?? and the humidity?? it has been SO hot, that you could cook an egg on a sidewalk. (isn't that the saying?)

or you could make 'smores on my forehead

or you could bake a ham on a tin roof

or you could boil water in a dog bowl (ask my dog, he'll tell ya!)

or you could make a pancake with a hand shake

or cook a goat in a boat

or fry some meat on my feet

or...or.....i. feel. woozy........i. think. it's. the. heat.........


i do not like the heat i say
i do not like it-go away
i do not like it in the car
i do not like it near or far

i will not will not
smile i say
i might i might
faint straight away

i think the heat is really stupid
i do i do, and so is humid
they are mean and so not nice
not like winter, with its ice
i do not like the heat, it's true
i do not like it, how 'bout you?

grateful:
1.winter
2. spring
3. fall

days of whine and noses

oh my dog! what a day!

so, ok, t.willie and i had a pretty good morning; the usual stuff, he-playing, me-cleaning. then, after lunch, i really needed a nap, him-not so much! i put him in his crib, he settles down, making me think, maybe he will sleep.

i settle down on the couch and close my eyes. just after i take a deep, much-earned breath, i hear him. he is crying, his pain cry! i rush into his room and he is holding his mouth. "did you hurt your mouth?" i ask. he is crying and drooling and mumbling something. i tell him to stop crying because i can't understand him. so he chokes it down and says "my crib hurt me." i could tell, he wasn't really injured badly. so i laugh and smack the crib rail and say "you mean old crib! leave t.w. alone!" well, this makes him giggle but then he starts coughing because his nose is stuffy from crying.

so, i pick him up and get a tissue to wipe his nose. we go through the nap time routine again, although a bit quicker. he can barely hold his eyes open and i am thinking yes! he's going to nap!

uh uh. after about ten minutes of silence, i hear him again. he is in there shrieking and singing and thumping against the wall. i can tell, there will be no sleeping. and i won't get much of a break. i decide to just rest for ten minutes and then go in there.

so i go and open his door and this is what greeted me:

you may be thinking "hmm, it looks like that kid is naked." well, he was. not only naked, but his clothes had been thrown in all directions and he was in the act of taking the pillow case off his pillow. i know from experience, his sheet and blanket would be next.

i picked him up with a loud sigh and he said "i make you happy?"

"oh yeah, i'm ecstatic."

as the afternoon wore on, t.willie became increasingly grouchy and whiney. he was doing anything he could to make me mad. i would yell at him or smack him and he would start crying with this pitiful, offended look. then he would pinch his nose declaring "i need a tissue, gammie." he was so snotty after a couple of hours, that he took to just carrying a tissue in his hand!

finally, we went outside. but only after applying this burt's bees bug repellent my sister sent me. and also, after t.w. having a fit over which bug repelling arm band he would wear (also from my sister). we were outside for about 15 minutes when he began wailing and shaking his head. he had been playing in his sand box and i realized he had gotten sand in his eyes. so i am trying to gently wipe the sand away, while also trying to keep him from touching his eyes with his sandy hands!

he was getting frantic, so i decided to just pick him up and bring him into the house. i had bilbo hold him while i got a wet wash cloth to wipe his eyes. finally, he started calming down and wanted to go back outside. but he needed his nose wiped again. right about then, i noticed a very large welt on his right temple. a damn mosquito had gotten him despite all the buggish precautions! tarnation!!

at this point, i was exhausted. no way was i taking that kid back outside! he started to complain, but i began filling the bath tub for him. the distraction worked and the before dinner hour went smoothly, as did the rest of the evening. bedtime came early though, this grandma has had it...i'm pooped!

grateful:
1. that this day is over....

smile and the world smiles with you

there is a really great blog i follow called the jungle of life. it is the blog of lance ekum and he is involved with a something called "the levity project". this is what it is about:

"The Levity Project is a social movement creating change through public acts of play, laughter, and celebration. The mission of The Levity Project is to help decrease the spirit of negativity, stress, and fatigue in our society by infusing public spaces with a lighter and more buoyant energy.

The Levity Project is a movement that encourages everyone who participates and observes the events to see themselves as an agent of change in our world. Our goal is to create a global community in which people come together to create an upward spiral of global positive social change."

their new micro-movement is "smiling:video form". here is the explanation:

"We're looking for short videos of YOU, smiling!! Do it by yourself. With your family. With friends. With your kids. And make a short video. 5 - 10 seconds long is perfect! And that's the micro-movement. Together, from all reaches of our world, we can come together...united around the simplicity of a smile...and fun! "

i intend to make a video, with the help of t.willie, and i encourage you to do it too. because, hey, any chance to look goofy, is a chance to look goofy!!

aaaaaaaaaaand, please go on over to the jungle of life and see what it is about, you won't be sorry.

grateful:
1. for reasons to reach out with a smile
2. for air conditioning, seriously, i am SO grateful!
3. that my tomato plants are all growing tomatoes

lunch with a friend

today, t.willie had a friend over. ray is about a week younger than t.w.

we made a tent out of a sheet. they played and watched movies and fought and played some more, and had a pretty good time.

lunch was ham and cheese sandwiches. when you're two and a half, life is good.

(hmm, something tells me that little ray is not as used to a camera as t.w.!)

**update**

after the disaster that was our weekend, things are returning to normal. bilbo baggins brought home a new hot water heater and installed it-YAY! a warm shower tomorrow will be an improvement to the three inch deep, luke warm bath i took last night.

and mom's dryer just needed a new belt and that was taken care of today, as well.

all's right with my little corner of the world...for now...!

grateful for:
1. warm water to bathe in
2. clean clothes to wear
3. friends to share a meal with

it's my potty and i'll cry if i want to!

*we never know the worth of water til the well is dry* thomas fuller


this weekend, my hubby, bilbo, started working on my mom and dad's bathroom. he is ripping out the floor and walls and re-doing the plumbing. he has had to arrange for a porta potty at the house, as they won't have a toilet for a few days.

so yesterday, saturday, he spent the day working on that and my mom and i went yard saleing. we had the BEST time, it was a great day for treasures and bargains. it was so hot and humid that sellers went way down on prices so they could unload their junk quickly!

as i returned home, though, i was greeted by kaye, who told me that there was "something flooding the (enclosed) carport!" i went in to find water seeping quickly throughout the floor. as i went over to the washer and dryer, i could hear water running. OH NO, what the....?!!

i called bilbo at my parent's house and told him what was going on. he is a professional commercial plumber and he knows his stuff. he asked me to check the hot water heater and as i did, i realized it was the cause of the leak. water was just flowing out of the top seal of it! he tried to tell me where to locate a turn off valve but i was having trouble moving it. it was above the tank and out of my reach. so, he said he was on his way home. anyway, the water was eventually turned off and i soaked up what water i could with towels.

since he had to turn the hot water heater off, we only had cold water. i had to heat water this morning to wash the dirty dishes that were in the dishwasher! i washed my hair in the sink with cold water- talk about refreshing!

meanwhile, i had to do some laundry, so i realized i'd have to take it over to my mom's and use her washer. i did one load and put the wet stuff in her dryer. i pushed the button to turn it on and it made a thunk sound. the dryer started humming but i could tell the tub wasn't turning. i opened the door to look and saw that nothing had moved.

sonofa...!!!!! i can not tell you the absolute frustration and dread i felt at that moment! not only did i have to remove the wet clothes, but now my mother would maybe accuse me of breaking her dryer!! i am not too proud to tell ya, i almost cried!

so here is the situation as of right now, sunday afternoon...

i have a usable toilet but no hot water for showers and such

my mom has hot water for showers and such but no toilet

i have a working dryer but cannot run my washer

and my mom has a working washer but no working dryer

between the two households, we have one complete bathroom and one working set of washer and dryer!

oh, it's going to be a looooong week...........

grateful:
1. that the working potty is at MY house
2. that i am on intimate terms with the plumber
3. that we can always go out and buy clean clothes

OH MY FREAKIN' what?!

baby platypi-these babies are so homely, they're cute!!!

just had to share....have a great evening!

chairish is the word

summertime, and the living is easyyyyyyy! well, it would be if it wasn't hot and humid and bug-gy and if we could sit outside and enjoy the view. but, alas, it is all those things aaaaaannndd we do not have any type of comfortable outside seating here at the hellhole.

i was checking around online and found some interesting patio chairs. i totally fell in love with these little numbers from anthropologie:

oh yeah, they are gorgeous, made in argentina and, at only $298, i think i will get all four!! (NOT!)

then, there is this little blue number from roomandboard.com:

it's not really my style, too modern and it is one dollar more than the last ones!

and speaking of modern, here is an awesomely beautiful set from designer david trubridge:
he is from new zealand and i could not even find out the price for these, though i bet they are out of my price range!

pier1 has several reasonably priced beauties, i love this red one:

made in china, it is $79.99

and also from pier1, and in my favorite color:

made in viet nam and, at $39.98, the one i could actually afford! it's really cute!

now, if we could just deal with the mosquitoes, i could withstand the humidity, as long as i had my butt planted in a cool purple chair!

grateful:
1. for take-out pizza
2.for living vicariously through magazines and decorating blogs
3. it's 8:35...he is in BED!

yo! yo! play-doh!

just a little play-doh fun on a tuesday. t.willie has a play-doh kitchen and i like the challenge of making play food.

here is my carrot:
here is my eggplant:
here is t.w's...um...scrambled eggs?:


here are cute little hands:
i love this face:grateful:
1. for my leetle friend called ambien cr!
2. for "leftover" cake
3. time to play with kid stuff

honey do list

i was jotting down a few things that i needed bilbo to do-a honey do list, actually. i had things like:

1) drill hole in ceramic pot

2) redo weather stripping around doors

3) dig up and re-plant the redbud tree that planted itself

and it got me thinking...about all the honey don'ts i would have on a honey don't list.

things like, don't:

1) leave dirty clothes on floor (in front of hamper)

2) leave empty food containers on counter (six inches from trash can)

3) walk through the house with your muddy boots

but, as i was thinking of these items, i was also thinking that:

1) those dirty clothes come off of the guy i love

2) those empty food containers are from the guy i love who provides for me anything and everything i need

3) he walks through the house in those muddy boots to kiss me good-bye while i am still in bed in the morning

so, yes, i do still need him to do those little jobs for me, but as for the honey don't list...never mind.
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click on the above image to be taken to ddsdoubles etsy shop. this cute handmade honey do list is just $10.00!
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grateful:
1. for my guy
2. for wind chimes on a breezy day
3. for funny kids

oh, embraceable you!

see that beautiful un-hellhole-ish house? that's my mom and dad's place. it's very homey and lushfully landscaped. my mother was interviewed for an etsy project embrace blog. check it out, you will get to know her a little bit and you'll learn about etsy's project embrace...

...it's a GOOD thing!!!

grateful:
1. for the do-gooders of the world
2. that my mom is one of them
3. that i don't have to get up really early in the morning to go yard saleing cuz my mother doesn't want me to go with her...apparently

john and joan, joan and john

so bilbo and i JUST got done watching the movie "war, inc" with john cusack. man, what a weird, funny, gory, satirical flick!! it was good. not my usual kind of movie, but, it had john in it, so i knew i would like it!

this is the plot description on imdb.com:

"A political satire set in Turaqistan, a country occupied by an American private corporation run by a former US Vice-President. In an effort to monopolize the opportunities the war-torn nation offers, the corporation's CEO hires a troubled hit man, to kill a Middle East oil minister. Now, struggling with his own growing demons, the assassin must pose as the corporation's Trade Show Producer in order to pull off this latest hit, while maintaining his cover by organizing the high-profile wedding of Yonica Babyyeah an outrageous Middle Eastern pop star, and keeping a sexy left wing reporter in check."

it was good. it was weird. it was funny...and also scary when you think about what actually goes on in the minds of our leaders!

and hey, what is the deal? if ya hire john for a movie, do ya automatically get joan cusack too, and vice versa?? i don't mind, though, i love them both! have you seen "martian child"? it's another movie starring john and also has joan in it. now, that IS my usual kind of film!! really good! warm, funny and with a happy ending!

so, run out and rent one or both of these movies...and tell them aurorafedora sent ya!!

grateful:
1. to spend a quiet evening with bilbo...and john!
2. for quick thunderstorms that blow in and blow out in a matter of minutes!
3. that t.willie is so cute, as it saves him from bodily harm on days he does not take a nap!

oh yeah, i remember...

...why i call this the hellhole...

early this morning, the phone rang and i flew out of bed to answer it. as i stood in the kitchen talking, i turned towards the living room and saw several mounds of dog poop and next to it, two spots of "something else". OMG! not this again. so i hung up the phone and put the dog outside. on my way back in, i noticed a couple spots of cat puke on the dining room rug...oh yeah, happy june first...to me!!

so, once i cleaned up ALL the messes, i got t.willie up and fed him. the rest of my morning went okay. after lunch, i attempted to get t.w. to take a nap. he did stay in his bed for about 45 minutes, all the while singing and banging and pulling apart his bedding.

i let him back up but made him play in his room for awhile. he absolutely tore his room apart! every single toy came out of his toy box and he pulled all his jackets down from the closet. but he was happy and not bothering me, so i let it go. but the afternoon dragged on and he became whiny and bratty and basically NOT fun.

after eating a big supper, t.w. perked up and cheered up. we settled down to watch "riverdance", one of my favorite videos. as the dancers lined up and did their first step dance, t.willie was mesmerized. this was not the first time he had seen this, but he was younger and didn't pay much attention to it before this. he got all excited and started doing his own version of irish step dancing along with the dancers for the entire length of the dance. it was very very cute!

it pretty much made up for his behavior earlier in the day...man, i love that kid!!

grateful:
1. for yesterday's leftovers!
2. for all the rain (i guess) since we will probably not have enough later this summer
3. for 2 1/2 year old step dancers