happy anniversary to me

happy anniversary
happy anniversary
happy anniversary

haaaaaaappy anniversary


this is why i married john. because he pretends to be caught in giant rat traps to make me smile. and he sits on our porch and makes up songs about our life, and our family, and our anniversary. it's the best present i could have asked for. happy anniversary, happy 6 years, and many happy more.

xx

weekend wishes

my favorite flowers bloomed today, originally uploaded by Nina Marie Gilbert.

here's wishing you blooming lillies, tire swings, bbq, a big bowl of berries, some ice cream for good measure, and a whole lotta hugs (if you're into that sort of thing.) xx

my summer life in pictures

fun with screens on a hot, hot day

a whole lot of picnic lunches in puppa's backyard, poolside

chubby fingers grabbing at the pints of strawberries

naked gardening in puppa's garden

weeding and lovin' on our own garden at home, and a bit of early harvesting

cowboy hats courtesy of ms. libby

stops at the herb FARMacy, my new favorite place in the world

a whole bunch of shel silverstein, which never seems to get old

raw birthday cupcakes baked (or half-baked) inside ice cream cones

the world spinning round and round, gloriously.

fillin' up

enough lookin' at my double chin from the last post, already! basically i'm just peeking in here to update you on...well, not much. there's been so much going on- life is filled to the brim. but for some reason, i'm left speechless about it all. there's been fresh cut flowers and dinners on the deck. there's been sun tea and there's been days spent in the pool. there's been herbs and strawberry picking and birth talkin' and trips to the ocean and tidepools. there's been ice cream. and cake. and cupcakes inside ice cream cones. there's been summer reading and lots of crafting. there's been family and conversations and sleeping with the windows open. lots and lots of all the things that i love.

except mosquitoes. and mosquito bites. i could do without that, couldn't you?

hope your life is filled with the things that keep you full. xx

70 summery things

as part of hula seventy's postcard swap, i offer you my 70 things (all on my postcards which i sent out yesterday). haphaphappy first day of summer! get out there with your dress up clothes on and jump in the pool! you can also view some other postcard action here at the flickr group.

each one of my postcards included five things i heart about summer. here's the master list- each card is different, hence the 70-. some are sort of doubles, but i just heart them so much i couldn't help it.

here are 70 things that i heart about summer:

1. my neighbor's garden parties
2. fresh lettuce gifted to me
3. upcoming farmer's markets
4. antiquing
5. sandboxes
6. glasses of wine after the kids go to bed
7. bathing-suit wedgies on my girl
8. the sound of the ice cream truck
9. trimming the hedges
10. the smell of tomato plants on my fingers
11. the sounds of lawn mowers
12. fresh pesto and pasta
13. neighbors stopping by
14. growing wheatgrass outside
15. dipping my toes in the ocean
16. farmer's markets (oops! a repeat)
17. herb shopping in greenhouses
18. letting the kids run around nekkid
19. ice cream for dinner
20. iced coffee
21. looking at people in ill-fitting bathing suits
22. fresh mint in salads
23. big batches of homemade pesto
24. laughter on picnic blankets
25. daydreaming while watching the clouds
26. getting pizza at the beach
27. sun-tanned photobooth strips
28. fried clams and beer
29. sand on my feet
30. seagulls
31. dirty gardenish feet
32. white wine with ice
33. listening to the world with the windows open
34. the sound of motorcycles
35. taking pictures in the grass
36. fresh herbs
37. eating dinner on the deck
38. tank tops
39. teva flip flops
40. hearing the birds
41. my local greenhouse
42. listening to bob marley outside
43. watching my wees in the sand
44. quilts on the grass
45. identifying birds
46. jumping over waves at the beach
47. letterboxing!
48. freeze pops
49. flip flop tans
50. sun hats on the kids
51. drive-ins
52. listening to the sounds of my kids at the park
53. picnic lunches
54. long walks before dinner
55. wildflowers
56. romaine lettuce
57. balsamic vinegar reductions
58. walden pond
59. unexpected guests popping in
60. talking with friends outside instead of watching tv
61. barking dogs
62. summer reading
63. fresh baked bread and olive oil
64. vacation planning
65. pizza at the beach
66. reading on the deck
67. waking up to the birds at 4am
68. airplanes overhead
69. sprinklers
70. daydreaming

what's the one thing you heart the most about summertime summertime sum sum summertime?

family

"family"- this weekend at the beach

i've got a couple of seconds to myself right now because gray is next door at our neighbor's house. i'm going to assume that the bloody-murder screams that i'm hearing drift through the open window right now are screams of joy and just keep typing...

these past few days have been so fulfilling, and exactly what i needed. a recentered of sorts, aimed directly at my cold, cold heart. friday's wishmamas gathering was the perfect medicine- surrounded by other like-minded mamas, on the ocean, with the most beautiful of meadows and trolls bridges and waterfalls, with all the beans dressed as fairies, skipping about. colorful balloons tied onto dental floss, and team letterboxing. strawberry frosted cupcake smiles and accessible public restrooms. it was like out of a mama-dream, except better.

saturday and sunday were spent partying and being with family, and eating, and more eating. the beach with just our wees, and going swimming with sweatshirts on. watching my loves hold hands and jump over the waves. wiping sand out of tiny bum cracks. dried pizza sauce on faces and skin tasting like salt. backyard barbeques and salads big enough to feed 100. yard sales and cowboy hats and butterfly necklaces. organic markets and ginger candies. sam summer ale and the kids running free and happy.

how come every weekend can't be like this past one? xx

happy father's day

is anyone out there tired, too? these past couple of days have washed over me, finally, and i'm left feeling drained, but in a very good way. is it too early for bed- at 7:11pm? happy father's day to all my dad's out there- i leave you with my mustachioed boy. until tomorrow... xx

morning wake up

my day hasn't even really started yet, as it is only 6:47am, and it's already included these delicious things:

-early morning reading in bed with my girl. "the ropemaker" by peter dickinson. i didn't read it aloud because it's waaaay over her head, but it's a really freakin' good book, although i'm a bit hesitant to admit this out loud because it's young adult and it's science fiction. i'm a sucker for any book with a young girl as the heroine, though.

-my favorite coffee mug

- peacefully watering my garden outside, alone. even though someone ate my eggplant plants.

-sugar and extra cream, just because

-my favorite soap

-an inappropriate tank top, some weird capri mchammer pants, and a beautiful butterfly necklace that i scored at butterflyjoandlib's yard sale this weekend

how was your morning?

things i love thursday: the mind over matter edition

quiet today, reflecting on all that is good and summoning up the power to get through the day. it's one of those weeks...a "mind over matter" week. we all have those weeks, right? right? that's what i'm telling myself at least- it will get better, it will get easier.

on with things i love thursday:

:: the simple necklace that gray made for me, unprovoked. a black cord, and a vintage button (from la vie en rose). i've been wearing this necklace with pride- call it mama's love, but it just seems to go with everything.

:: grocery shopping early in the morning when there aren't a lot of people in the store. less people equals less cranky people. buying cinnamon buns and fresh peaches, going home, putting joey to bed, and sitting down to a delicious meal with my girl. it was her idea, and i thought, why the hell not? i wasn't afraid to have about four cinnamon buns, either.

:: the prospects of an amazing day tomorrow, with some of my favorite peoples in the world, at the fairies and trolls get-together in rockport, MA. aaah, the ocean, the forest, some fairies, some bridges, some snacks. pictures to come. my local peeps- check it out! (tab, if you're up for the drive, you are welcome to come, even though your beans will be at school!)

:: chewable acidophilus

:: tab's live radio show airing today...here's the info-
(Please join TAB at noon Thursday, June 14 @ 9am PST / 12pm EST -- LIVE via the Internet as SHE will be the guest author on Preschool Rock Moms Radio Show! The topic is "Raising a Reader" and not only will there be great discussions and helpful tips -- there will also be prize giveaways to callers. That's right, you can call in too and ask questions.

Here's the link that will take you right to the show: http://www.preschoolrockmoms.com)

:: joey is finally speaking and i just adore hearing what he has to say. mostly it's "doooooooog" or "caaaaaaaah". he's got a wicked massachusetts accent- car is definitely "cahhh". we're working on it.

:: they might be giants' here come the abc's movie. it never gets old, esp. "alphabet of nations".

:: impromptu dinner parties, with buffalo chicken and sprouts and wine. wine helps make the week go by better and faster. thank you boo, and thank you wine.

hope your thursdays are filled with vintage buttons, hugs from the ones you love, and sugar cones. xx

sowing the seeds of love

my life has been overflowing with hippie smells and seeds of love. here is a taste:

:: nag champa soap gifted to me from boo via california. the other day i was reading at bohemian mom, and read about her nag champa soap. i immediately left her a comment that was something to the effect of "what?!? where did you get such a delicious soap?" and then didn't think anything of it. unbeknownst to boo, who was in california purchasing me the same exact soap... and now i have my own nag champa soap, which boo had to nestle inside two plastic bags because it's so damn fragrant. aaah.

:: probiotics. i can't learn enough about this! thanks stephanie (from wish studio) for introducing me to the concept.

:: giving people their first-time massages

:: my brand-spankin'-new-to-me massage chair. for $15! yes, it's covered in hair and needs a cleansing, and no, it doesn't have a face-rest, but it still rocks. anyone want a massage on my deck?

:: the book plenty: one man, one woman, and a raucous year of eating locally by alisa smith and j.b. mackinnon. i devoured this book over the weekend (just read the final pages this morning at 4:30am, in fact) and couldn't get enough. i'm sad that it's over.

:: about to jump into slow food, by carlo petrini. can't wait for that either.

:: finally getting around to doing some continuing education massage credits, in massage for pregnant women and their infants and aromatherapy massage for mother and baby.

:: clover and 3 part salad mix sprouting seeds from this company.

:: mod podge and blank notebooks

:: bouquets of fresh thyme and mint in the bathroom

:: arugula flowers in a jar

:: sesame goddess salad dressing

:: wendy's pizza recipe, which we collectively revamped to fit what we had in the fridge. used whole wheat pizza dough and fresh rosemary, sage, basil, parsley, so much that the whole pizza was green. and my new obsession is balsamic vinegar reductions- i'm going to buy a gallon or two and reduce it down to drizzle over everything summery. or just drink it straight from the fridge.

what's new in your world?

photobooth friday and polobooth friday

this photobooth strip makes me think about one thing: butt massages. why butt massages you ask? well, i'm not quite sure. but here's what i have to say about this gem of a strip:

1. old friends t. and d. i'm pretty sure i loved this strip so much that i held it for ransom and would not give it back. and i'm also pretty sure that i bribed them to get into the booth together so i could keep the strip all to myself. i'm a strip whore. there was no way i was giving it back.

2. my friend t. makes me think about butt massages because, well, i used to give butt massages. especially to his older brother. it was this quirky thing that i did that sort of just turned into, well...what i did. they weren't sexual in nature (not for me, at least!) and they only involved boys. um...looking back, i guess that was a pretty strange thing to do. butt massages. butt massages. at least it's fun to say.

3. this strip also makes me think of my beach cottage. the beach cottage that i had with a bunch of friends. and to make some extra cash to spend on the beach strip (you know, for like getting my nose pierced) i gave massages. mostly foot massages. and i changed boys that came over, and put my money in a jar. as evidenced by this completely frightening picture, i also sometimes put their feet in my mouth:



my poor parents. i must have given them heart attacks. (not to mention my poor boyfriend at the time...no wonder why he was so un-understanding and not-cool! i was putting other people's feet in my mouth!!)

other friday lovelies here.

kuberist and peuwist

grace has her own language. i know i've written about it before, somewhere. but frankly, it's out of control. her gray language is taking over her regular-voice talking, and i find myself constantly redirecting. "big girls voice!" i perkily say, over and over, trying not to scar her too badly for the rest of her life. i'm pretty sure i went through the same thing growing up, because i vividly remember my parents telling me to close my mouth because they had had enough! on one of our drives to the beach. maybe it's having a little brother, maybe it's regression, but the "kuberist and peuwist earlobbie" language has got.to.go. at some point. soon.

on a happier note, how could i not laugh my ass off when i picked gray up from school yesterday (using her excited kuberist and peuist voice) and her and her teacher hand me this (joey promptly gnawed one of the beaver-eyes off as soon as we got home):


gray, what a beautiful beaver you have! seriously, these teachers are smoking crack (in a good way, of course).

luckily the kuberring has not taken over in school-land, because the teacher says she's just great and uses her big girl voice all the time. maybe it's the power of my earlobes that causes her to speak in tongues. here's my girl's report card, just to prove she's a good little beaver:


on a final note, i've found my new key to happiness: coffee at 3pm. call me crazy, but it really gets me through those afternoon blues- and hasn't (yet) started to effect my going to bed at 9pm. or 7pm. it snaps me right out of those doldrums and "how am i going to get to 6pm bedtime?"s. coffee at 5am, coffee at 8:30am, and coffee at 3p. addicted, you think?

hope your day is filled with ferns, little freaky trolls, and glue schmeared all over your hands.

the beauty of touch

as a massage therapist, it's no secret that i'm a big fan of positive touch. as a mama of two little beans, i'm also a touch-advocate. and a doula-in-training...yup, there's that touch again. touch touch touch. it seems that in these scary times of abuse and neglect and the misuse of touch, the subject of touch and children has become somewhat taboo. lots of people that i know take a "better safe than sorry" approach to touch and children, and just don't broach the subject at all.

most children thrive on positive touch, especially massage from their mamas. not only does it generate a feeling of safety and well-being, it supports children's growth and development. to generalize, children that experience positive touch are happy children. the best part is that you don't have to be a massage therapist to integrate more touch into the lives of your children! with permission, introduce massage of the feet, hands, and back into your daily routine. infants thrive on positive touch- massaging of the belly can ease cramping, and overall massage can alieviate stress.

i would go around wearing a t-shirt that reads "touch is good!", but people might think i'm creepy. so i'll say it here, go ahead. touch your babies. they need it. they need you.

i collect good people

call me crazy, but lately my new mantra has been "i collect good people". instead of "i see dead people," the little creepy voice inside my head likes to remind me how blessed i am to be surrounded on a daily basis by such inspirational individuals who push me to grow more and aim big. these past few days have epitomized all these feelings of blessedness- being at the wish studio's opening last night and trunk show today, meeting in-the-flesh (which i always think sounds dirty, don't you?) mindy, melba, and angela from lovegreendog (and her kick-ass friend kelly, btw). and some other amazing peeps, one of which was named stephanie, and if you're out there stephanie, holla! i got to see some art, schmooze a bit, drink some fancy wine, and rock out with my cleavage out. and take some goofy pictures. and hug bright and excited children. basically, i collect good people, and my collection keeps growin' and growin'. see for yourself:


angela and i (evidently i took my happy pills)


my happy feet on the happy red brick building floors



double dose of the happy pills- melba and i- i love her glowy closed eyes in this shot.



the resident photographer, little miss gray, enjoyed taking pictures of "my anus". she's completely obsessed and is likely to get kicked out of preschool if she keeps this up.


angela and i again- she doesn't really stink, i was just playin'.


and as an aside, can we just talk about this lunch? my brother made me this lunch yesterday, just because. lunch, people! those asparagus, let me tell you...i want my casket filled with those mo-fo's. and that salmon was to die for. literally.

i really do collect some freakin' good people.

xx

delicious things of nina beana

in the spirit of leonie, i offer you my delicious things:

hippie pants for little girls

getting peed on by the wees

chocolate cupcake faces

name-tagged salads

fingerpainting with reckless abandon

babies on quilts made out of boxer shorts

mini clogged feet

and what's spring without fruit salads?

favorite parts

lately, our lives have been so full that i've been at a loss for words. there is so much beauty and movement and f.u.n. that i can't seem to articulate everything i want to say. i feel incredibly blessed, especially considering the heartbreak that many of our loved-ones are currently experiencing. maybe i feel a tad bit guilty having such a full life? during the past week or so, i've kept all my gratitude inside, almost bursting at the seams. so here are some of my favorite parts, all tied up with a bow.


*watching my girl celebrate her 4th with her friends and family- all 70 strong surrounding her
*dates with boo to borders
*lunch with jess and hummous with lamb and huge fatoush salads
*eric carle's "the tiny seed"- thanks c. and j.!
*climbing a local abandoned ski hill to find a letterbox, and in the process finding lots of frogs, one of which was bright orange, and a tons and tons of the elusive ladyslippers
*locally-made, delicious chocolate peanut butter ice cream two days in a row for dinner
*coolers filled with drinks on the porch
*buying myself tickets to medeski, martin, and wood for my birthday in august
*soon to be buying tickets to nickel creek for father's day for john
*stacks of new books and craft supplies for my girl and i to dig through
*watering the garden
*c.' castle in her backyard that she created for her boy's birthday
*m. and her family driving all the way to our house for gray's birthday
*a full jar of home-grown sprouts in my kitchen waiting for me to eat them
*bouquets of lilacs and mint for friends, covered in vintage children's books
*library book sales, and finding my favorite books
*not reading the last chapter of barbara kingsolver's new book because i don't want it to ever end
*sitting under my tree with tab and her family, just talking and loving
*watching gray adore her cake from mimi
*holding hands up and down slippery slopes
*admiring pum in a onesie, a farmer's hat, and mini clogs
*dates to read shel silverstein with my girl later this afternoon
*bug projectors
*watching the birds swoop over our heads
*salads with nametags- i like to personalize them
*flax seeds- frankly, i'm obsessed
*local peeps- www.buyfresh.org
*writing my wishmama piece for here (check back later)
*the wish studio's launch party this friday night! (swoon)
*tingy's birthday quilt made out of boxer shorts
*working on some of the most beautiful souls i've ever met, and grieving with them
*seeing babies play in my sandbox
*feeding people
*hands-off gardening techniques
*sending gray off to school this morning in a brand-spankin' new white eyelet dress
*having some of the best neighbors a girl could hope for
*cheese and grapes in bed
*chocolate in bed
*fans in bed
*not caring about having a clean house anymore when people come over
*stacks of thank you cards
*freshly cut bangs
*curtains blowing in the wind
*boat rides yesterday around portsmouth harbor, and the kids being good thanks to bribery
*sun-kissed shoulders and noses thanks to said boat rides
*little organic hippie stores, and how they always smell the same, and how they are always called 'the mustard seed'
*recycled clothes
*hand painted t-shirts
*6pm bedtimes

hope your long weekend was long in the fun department. xx

thursday gratefulness

*splinters splinters everywhere, the surest sign of spring
*cleaning the floors (only happens once a year)
*crafting dates with femiknitmafia, and a bowl of guacamole
*turning a big stack of johnny's old boxers into a birthday quilt for my brother (luckily he liked it and doesn't mind snuggling up to old panties)
*neighbors that watch out for you, whistle for you to come outside, and walk into your house (or my house, i should say) when i'm on the toilet and then help you tie quilts together
*newman's own organics coffee
*my local greenhouse, which i've recently taken back. i promised i wouldn't go back there when the staff's snatchiness factor reached an all-time high last year, but i gave it another shot this year and i'm pleasantly surprised by their new staff, bigger greenhouse, and more-ample parking. and frickin' cheapass and delicious herbs and veggies, which i brought home and lovingly tucked into my garden. all for $21. now's the hard part- waiting until july (freakin' cold MA weather!) until i can reap the benefits. this is my first year planting spicy arugula and japanese eggplants. can't wait.
*planting catnip and watching the neighborhood cats go crazy
*opening the windows and curtains wide
*to-do lists for the upcoming weekend
*my date with jess tomorrow afternoon
*working again this afternoon after quite a long hiatus
*wearing my wedding ring again (i'm not a ring person but i'm giving my band another trial-run...plus, massage therapist plus wedding rings just doesn't mix)
*plans to work on andrea's postcard swap when i get off the computer and go downstairs
*bright red dr. scholl's
*gray turning 4. i have a four year old. i'm a mama to a stinkin' four year old person, and i can barely believe it.


until this coffee buzz wears off, i need to stop typing. too jittery. must keep pressing backspace to fix mistakes. i'm off to the porch to commune with the birds and my modge podge!

merry-go-round

(photoshopping by teri from blueberry pie- one of the best unexpected gifts ever- thank you!)

pink frosted cupcakes and bakery runs
pork pies and sitting around the table
errands and greenhouses and planting the gardens
beach trips and sweatshirts and snuggling on the couch
coughing and laughing and sleeping with the windows open
bean sprouting in the kitchen in mason jars
phone calls and packages all tied up and thank you's do write
little girls turning four and dressing up like princesses
not enough time to do everything that i should do
but just enough time to do everything that i want to.

our life is a merry-go-round- want to jump on?

photobooth friday- the "no below-40 forecast's gonna stop us!" edition

(beach blur)

it never ceases to amaze me how something like pum getting sick (and gray, too, to boot- just not as severly) can whip me right out of the usual, ho-humishness of my day-to-day living. of course, pum chose to get sick at the most chaotic, vacation-and-upcoming-birthday-filled time, like most children will. what did we do?, you ask....still pack our bags and children and head to the beach! nothing like 35 degree rainy weather to snap you right out of those colds! irresponsible parenting? maybe. did we pay for it? you betcha. was it worth it- of freakin' course. we're all about making family memories, despite the suffering that goes along with it.

my brother-in-law was nice enough to rent a beach cottage for the week, and johnny took.thursday.and.friday.off.to.go. anyone who knows sales/commission people who work 12+ hour days just to bring home the money know that this does not happen. so there was no way i was letting a croupy kid and torrential rain, and oh, did i mention the 30 degree weather and unheated beach cottage part? thursday wasn't all that bad- just cold- and we did manage to hang out on the beach, collect seashells and sea glass (there was tons of sea glass kickin' around yesterday....was cool until gray almost stepped on half a corona that was not-so-seaglassed yet), flew some serious kites, and ran around tearing up the beach cottage. the kids were actually pretty exceptional considering the circumstances, and joey was feeling much better (lest you worry that i've lost my marbles). the steroids immediately opened his airway and he went from no-breathing-baby to eating-sand-but-he-still-has-diarrhea-and-is-kinda-clingy-but-happy baby.

he felt so much better so immediately, in fact, that i didnt' feel too guilty about slipping out on wednesday night after he went to bed (5:30p, cough cough) to go to joya's show at MIT. how could i miss her original songs, with a guest beat-boxer, and watching my gray's soul sister (hello hala and k!) bust some sweet moves in the aisles?

plus, i had two hot dates (boo and tingy...and that's boo's gum, not some jacked-up tooth issue)-

back to the beach!
there was also the photobooth (i heart grace's smile in the last one- i would've paid $20 for this strip),
the creepy fortune teller, the roll-up subs and pizza (sorry barbara kingsolver, i'm really disappointing you harcore), and the beach snuggles (i had on three hoodie sweatshirts and i was still freezing). gray stomping through the arcade stating (loudly) "inappropriate video game! inappropriate!!!" the boogers and the using of our sleeves as tissues and blasting the heat in the car. the being-with of family members in such a small, new space. did i mention the boogers?

we had some serious boogers.

now we're back at our home, with the heat ON and quilts tucked around, planning our soul-warming meals for the weekend. this vacation was all about letting go of expectations, and again, setting the bar reaaaal low. i'm sensing a trend in how i approach situations, but hey, it seems to work fabulously.

lightning-quick update

with the steroids and antibiotics, pum is doing much better. he's breathing more clearly and we didn't cancel our beach vacation, but came home to sleep in our own beds. i'm completely exhausted but wanted to send a quick thank you to each and every one of you who called, sent me the sweetest and unexpected messages, and gave me hugs. a special shout out to mamaHALA and her little girlie sidekick, who's smiles shined up my life last night.

thank you, thank you, thank you for thinking of my little guy.

also, with the flood warnings and impending rain, it looks like gray's birthday party on sunday is going to be postponed. more about the tomorrow. (mom, don't order the cake!)

kisses and wind-blown lubbins,
xx.