Happy Leap Day!

gorgeous image by Hope Harris.

Back! And thinking about thinking....

So, hey! I'm back from Baltimore! It was awesome and almost worthwhile (financially). Totally worthwhile for other reasons. This I know for sure: I have not found my niche, yet. And? I'm weirdly (for me) fine with that. Something will happen, or not - and then I'll know which direction to fling myself next.

Until then, I'm going to snuggle my babes and help them with their homework, fix up the garden, cook something delicious, teach art, go to the library, and drink my handsome husband's Manhattans.

Image by Paul Sahre for the Atlantic.

The weather.

In Livermore today, the temperature is predicted to be 76 degrees. It's February 22. I checked. Tonight in Baltimore, it will be 44 degrees and raining. Let's all go There, shall we?

In unrelated news (or maybe not) Seamus says: "Ladies first" is not fair.

Lasty (should have been firstly), My sweet grandpa passed away on Monday night. He will be very much missed by his wife, 7 children, 17 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. Which is pretty good, if you think of it that way.

14-hour time difference.

This is me having a beer with my sister on Skype while she eats her breakfast. All the while, my handsome husband was practicing the following parenting technique: If you turn the volume on the TV all the way up, it's almost like you don't even have kids. It was rather a shorter conversation than I would have liked.

Grandma and Grandpa.

Grandpa does not want to be called Grandpa, he wants to be called Jim because that's his name, and he's certainly one of the sweetest men on the planet. He's not feeling so well.

Friday, I'm in love....

Underwater dogs by Seth Casteel.

Two new.

Happy Valentine's Day, my lovies!

Photo by Corey Arnold, via A Cup of Jo.

Hey, Monday....

Today I'm thinking about school, rain, errands, a thousand tiny details, sewing, and Downton Abbey. I recorded last night's episode, but I haven't watched it yet, so don't tell me what happened. What are you thinking about?

Around here.

Such a week this has been - double booked almost every day with a birthday and scouts and baseball and karate, not to mention friends, homework, rabbit projects, nightmares, school struggles, a sick grandpa, a lost check, daily meltdowns, and a hundred other dramas - real, imagined, or wholly manufactured.

And? I loaded 95% of my booth on a truck bound for Baltimore! Yea!

Art crush revealed.

I have a terminal art crush on Mimi Kirchner. You're starting to have one too, aren't you? I can see it in your eyes.

Bill Cunningham New York

Have you seen it? It's so totally fascinating - I think I might watch it again today!

Technicolor dreamcake!

Inspired by this and this gorgeous cake. And let me tell you, for every sprinkle on that cake, there are three somewhere in my house.

Seven is a lucky number.

Dear Fin,

Today you are seven.

One of your classmates told me that all the girls like you. You like marshmallows and dogs and you hate to get dressed.

When I say, "Don't do that" you say, "But, I want to" and that's irrelevant, but disarming.

You are cheeky and creative and very very charming when you want to be. As far as I know, you have never flushed a toilet without being reminded. Not once.

Love,

Mama

ps. I'll eat you up I love you so.

Around here.

Seamus told me that he wanted to write up his birthday wish list, so I gave him a Post-it and he got mad at me. And, those emails I was going to write the other day? I did not write them, but I wrote some I shouldn't have, haha! meh. We're having a birthday party here today and apparently there's some sort of sporting event going on.

Soldier on.

Lalage Snow photographed soldiers before, during and after their service in Afghanistan. Beautiful and amazing - here. Via dooce.

Happy anniversary Mimi and Papa!

Good luck to us!

Omydarlingdears! How are you?

I'm going to be in the American Craft Council show in Baltimore at the end of February. Did you know that? It's spectacular and I should be super-triumphant about it and constantly self-congratulatory just for getting in, but alas - I'm in an insecurity death-spiral instead. You know me. As if I could possibly be super-triumphant and constantly self-congratulatory both at the same time. One or the other, for a few seconds, maybe. But I really don't have the stamina for that kind of confidence.

But! The good news is that you're absolutely adorable and it's a wonderful day and I'm going to write all those emails I've been putting off. Good luck luck to us!

ps. Artist are such self-absorbed babies, aren't we?