Today, I had the pleasure of stopping by my favorite farm, Ashlawn Farm in Old Lyme, Ct. As I drove away with a fresh Farm Blend Coffee and.....a danish.....I really do my best to steer clear of those goodies but, today the danish seemed to call my name! Woohoo!  There was achorus calling to me because today Susan offered me a choice of scones, biscotti, danish or even cookies.

As I balanced my coffee cup on the railing of the deck, I stood a moment and found myself daydreamingof Ireland. I remembered being in Clare the morning after we arrived. My family and I.....the summer I turned 14. The colors and softness of the greens, the blues in the sky, even the light clouds with the sun working hard to push through.

It's St. Patrick's Day this week. I get those warm fuzzy family feelings at St. Patrick's Day. We have lots of St. Patrick's Day memories together. I had a few minutes with my hot coffee outside in the haze...and random sweet thoughts.

Growing up Irish.
Family Traditions.
Family Lore.
Family Stories.
Family Connections.
Family Memories.
Silly Irish Sayings
Singing Around The Piano
Silly Irish Superstitions

Random thoughts filled my head just because of this charming place. It's a special place. I stop in for coffee. I have no expectations except a fresh, hot cup of coffee and a friendly hello. I'm surprised time and again as I leave with my coffee..... consistently at the farm I find warm welcomes, kind words, interesting folks with fresh conversation or current events.. I never know who'll be there when I open the door after passing by the horses and goats. It's a like walking into another world where everyone just stops....for awhile. What a delightful way to stop and look at the world with a different perspective.

Finale!

"The Bachelor".....Finally Monday nights can go back to normal. Brad chose Emily. Tears and sobs for Chantal...she fell in love with Brad, he didn't feel the love. I was shocked at his choice. I was sure it was Chantal. There. always seems to be a twist...kind of like real life.

This show has been crazy to watch. Ups, downs, whackos, sincere sweethearts and real people on a "reality TV show." Still, I've watched!.Some friends have watched along with me. We laugh

Jason & Molly
Ryan & Trista
Roberto & Allie
Brad & Emily????

Still in question... Brad & Emily. Isn't it funny that so many doubts and adjustments since the show ended months before airing tonight.

Isn't this the reality? Dealing with life in the real "real" world working things out, working toward compromise, dealing with personalities, logistics, work, bad hair days and all.

How can it be considered "reality" when their love blossoms on exotic islands, jungle habitat, fine foods and housekeepers, evening gowns and sparkling jewels?

I knew I loved Biff on one of our first dates.  He changed a tire for a couple when we realized they were totally inept. Love bursts in on the scene or taps us gently on the shoulder in the wildest ways....seeing and feeling the little things about someone. Not necessarily while all is flowing smoothly. That's the easy part.

Its the big and little challenges, the knowledge and security that my Biff will tell me when I have tomato sauce on my chin or lipstick on my teeth. That's reality and true love for me!

Yes!

Spring. Little hints appear. Sunshine or not, 44 degrees at 4 in the afternoon? I'll take it! Longer daylight hours? I'll take it! Kids outside playing spring season sports? I'll take it!

Yes! I'll take it all! Once again, I ham reminded that change is good. To everything turn, turn, turn...there is a time and a purpose untouched heaven! Amen! Woohoo! Hallelujah! Hooray! Yay! Yes!

Magic

One of my greatest pleasures has been working outside in the yard...moving rocks, raking, planting, creating. Over the years we've created some beautiful, rambling stone paths with big stones and river pebbles. Peaceful and unstructured.

Though the giant rocks are in random spots, each one has been very special to us... and the other kids on our road. Our kids may be in high school now but they still wait for the rumbling school bus on the "school bus rock!" Another rock has hidden little playmates over the grammar school years, "The Spy Rock." Major undercover work and missions have been accomplished. The largest rock of all, "The Globe Rock," was originally an overwhelming climb but with a bucket of chalk and hours of chalking had the rock evolve into The Globe Rock!

Along the "natural" path created with flat, sturdy stepping stones there are lightly colored river pebbles. Years ago I sprinkled sparkling glass stones and clear glass marbles. Just for fun. Also for fun, I told all of the kids that they were magic! It's years later with many new neighbors and smaller children. They still wander along the path gathering and collecting and spilling and counting and sharing their newly acquired sparkly magic stones! Today the first little hunter and gatherer has appeared ....it must be spring!

Really!

Today. Here in Connecticut!

It's Not Lipstick

Fitz. Parking lot of grocery store. Quick dog walk. Fitzy found someone's "leftover" McDonald's litter. Feeding frenzy ensued. Daisy managed a few bites too. Lots of onlookers...who probably assumed I was the litterbug. Oops. At least she didn't get my lipstick.

Alien Kitties

Open bottle of water. Bent over to pick up box. Water glugged out of bottle, splashed onto other assorted items that had fallen to the floor.

Oops #1

While talking on cell phone with old college friend...grocery cart bumped into giant stacks of paper towels.

Oops #2

Oops #2

http://www.zumba.com/us/about/ REALLY. Really. http://bicycling.about.com/od/trainingandfitness/gr/spinning.htm REALLY. Really. What was I thinking?

Really?

REALLY. I took my first spin class today. I walked the dogs for a really good walk. I went to my Zumba class. Really. Really. What was I thinking?

http://m.designsponge.com/category/diy-projects This is a fabulous website for decorating ideas... lots of fun and easy do-it-yourself projects. Fun. Creative. Clever. Not Martha Stewart clever....where we need a groundcrew to orchestrate the whole complex project! Just fun with easy to read/understand instructions. I don't think it will surprise you to know that I'm not that great with following directions!

Do you twitter?

Everything I wrote vanished into cyberspace. I was on a roll. I even read it aloud to Biff before he trotted out the door. He called from the car to mention on random thing....***POOF***.....it is gone. GONE. And what caused the urgent call? Biff needed to ask me to pick up the mail from our overstuffed mailbox. Why was it overstuffed? you may ask. Because a snowplow knocked it over a few months ago. Well...not over. It was stuck in feet of snow. Stuck in a snowbank. UNTIL the snow melted. Then it fell to the ground. The mail was not delivered until the mailbox was standing again. Hence overstuffed. Thus, the phone call. insomuch as my blog writing was in progress, the blogpost was eliminated....somehow...somewhere. The end.

Don't Say Flood

Flood. That word. Hate it. Just do not use it near me. I have flashbacks. And flooding was only in our basement. Hate to be so dramatic when others have had bigger, more horrifying floods to deal with. However, in our life...this was big. Recovering from the flood. Not so much. Yes, we had the crews to clean. Yes, we got a new washer and dryer. Yes, our basement was cleared of all of the extras and accumulation....but, we basically lost our basement. Not lost. It's there....but....as Biff says,"We're going up next time!" The basement will not be occupied by teens the way we dreamed it to be. But it's o.k., it's all o.k. Just don't say flood. Please.

Daisy Dreams

Smile!

Sewing Machine

Mine? How can I tell. Paint. Our bedroom shade. Sapphire 4. Laura Ashley. How did bedroom paint get on the sewing machine? Oh never mind. That's not important. What is important is that I got the sewing machine out. To use. Stop laughing. Really. Wait til you see what I can do. Just wait. It has to be done soon. The machine is on the coffee table in the family room. It took me one hour to make a bobbin. After trying to get the paint off the relatively new sewing machine. Oops. Big job. I threaded the needle too. Another hour. I'm hopeful. Very hopeful. I'm motivated. Very motivated. To create. A pillow. Maybe a duvet for Grace. I'll start with the pillow. Actually, I have started. I turned it on. It moved. The pedal revs the engine. Thrilling. I have needles. Pins. Ha. Pins and needles. Even a little tomato pin cushion! Extra bobbins. Extra thread. No patterns. Why would that surprise anyone? Wish me luck!

Zumba Mama

Dog walk. Kids talk. Friends. Coming. Going. Driving. Zumba. Music. Dancing. Jumping. Sweating. Breathing. Water. Lots of water. Gulping. Walking. Talking. Driving. Grocery Store. Reality. Hungry. Shopping. Quickly. Groceries. Cell phone. Phone calls. Check out. Thank you. Thank you for packing. Out to car. Start car. Need heat. Chilly. Dark. Biff calls. Drive home. Kids. Dogs. Dinner. Dogs. Kids. Strawberries. One whole package. Lots of strawberries. Delicious. Biff. TV. Computer. Cats. Biff. Hair color! Desperate. We'll see. No gray. Wait. May be dark. Box said Golden Sunshine Blonde? OK? Maybe. Outside. Lasts for 28 shampoos. No roots. No gray. No hairdresser. Compromise. Yup.

After The Snow

Delightful. Sunshine and high winds. Walking the dogs. On the road. In the woods. Damp under foot. Leaves. Sticks. Branches. Tree trunks. On the trails. Across the trails.

The air is brisk. A brisk walk with the dogs always puts a smile on my face. Daisy and Fitz smile too. We occasionally slow down for a fresh scent. It's all new. Everytime. Every outing. For all of us. Outside. Outdoors. We see things differently. We have a new outlook. That changes everything. Change is good. Being open to change is better.

The Trail Less Traveled

Keep It Simple

These magazines exhaust me. The whole reason I read them is to relax. After scanning the covers, I'm exhausted. Every magazine has work for me to do...on my hair, on my thighs, my clothes, my house, my cooking, my "organization and my money.

Every magazine promises to make me better.....why can't I be happy as I am? Because they tell me I need to be happier, neater, prettier, thinner, healthier, ! It's no wonder I'm exhausted.

Shop Better

Get Unstuck

Love Your Body

Be happy!

Organize,Simplify

Magazine Mania

Cold Turkey. I stopped buying them the first of this year. I love them. I get drawn in by the covers. They all offer so many possibilities .....New. Better.Color for hair, color for big rooms, colors for small rooms, make small rooms feel spacious, make oversized rooms feel intimate, de-clutter, live clutter free, get organized....they are all the same.

I don't miss them. I save money and clutter. I read them all... in the library.

Get organized

De-clutter

Quiet

Peaceful. It's a quiet night. We all seem to be content. Even Jinx. Although, he's always rather content. Cool cat.

Tripping the Light Fantastic

Finally. We figured out a way to preserve the white lights from the naked Christmas Tree. We finagled a way to get them on the chandelier. Biff wrangled and tangled the white lights. Finally, voila! The sweet white lights are back.

Saturday Night Live

Here we are. Saturday night. March. Chilly. Damp. Kids home. I'm home. Biff is home. It's a low energy kind of day here. Low. It's kind of nice. I'd like to play a game or have one movie that we all might like. Not happening. No one here wants to play. Grace decided to bake a cake. Can't decide on a movie. Biff decided to try facebook. Now, he's busy "finding friends." Just one of those nights. Quiet. Mellow. We'll all come together eventually tonight. After all, Saturday Night Live is on in a couple of hours and we have teenagers.

Isn't it true?  It's important to stay true to ourselves.

The Teenage Playground

Random mall people

Malled Again!

At the mall. People watching at a faraway mall with 4 teenage girls. The drive here and home is why I make the trip. Malls are not my thing. So un-American of me...it seems to be the new American pastime. As though all is well at the mall. I'm not sure why. It seems to make us want more....clothes, shoes, jewery, food, coffee, gelato, Mickey Mouse....everything. Thankfully, the girls are having fun. Thankfully, I'm sitting in the mall's pre-fab living room....people watching. Young, old, strollers, crying overtired toddlers, teen girls flirting with teen boys, odd couples, grandmas and grandpas and so many more. I like the drive....listening to these cute girls and the excited 16 year old chatter about school, boys, teachers, parents, brothers, sisters and facebook...in between cranking the radio and singing at the top of their lungs, giggling and laughing hysterically. Thankfully, in the midst of this crazy changing world, some things remain the same! It's worth the trip!

I've Been Clipped

Clips and ties and scrunchies...it's time to get my hair cut or colored once I've resorted to the clip. What's a girl to do? Only the clip can save me. It's a temporary fix.

Really?

Did my hairdresser fire me today? Maybe? Or maybe it's me. Apparently I missed my appointment....I showed up at the wrong time. Not early. Late. Missed it. Do I look like I can stand to miss a hair appointment? I think not. I'm not proud...look at this picture ....do I look proud? Talk about letting yourself go. Maybe the universe is telling me something? Brown hair in January. Blonde hair in February. Gray hair in March. Hmmmmm. I'm the customer? "The customer is always...." gray? I think not. It may be time for Grace and I to move on. But where?

Same Ol'

Same ol'. Yup. That's my life. Not all of it. Just with Grace this week.  Grace doesn't like me. She "hates" me...if that's what "I HATE YOU" means.  I'm used to it now. I've heard it muttered, screamed, mumbled and squeaked through tears. Same ol'.

The first time I  heard those words I practically had to dive into bed and climb under the covers! Now, I realize it's a phase....that may last about 5 to 10 years. No worries. I still love Grace. I'll always love Grace. Sometimes it's more challenging than others. Not because of Grace....just because of her teenage ups and downs.

Oh, by the way, I've heard it from T.J. too. It's just not the same. The mother daughter thing is different. Everyone I know, who has girls, understands....if it's a normal relationship. It's actually healthy! Crazy but true. They have to separate from us somehow....if it's not this it's other stuff...sex, drugs, rock and roll? No matter what....it's always somethin'.

I'm really not o.k. with this. I pretend it doesn't hurt. It still does. I'm grateful to have so many friends going through this with their daughters.....some even have the situation with the same girl, then boy family. A friend with girl/boy twins called today...she is at the overwhelmed stage.  It's like walking a tight rope. Everyday is different....some fun, some not, some horrible...for our daughters. It takes a toll on the moms.

But, as I say to our kids. I'm the same everyday. I wake up. I'm happy. I'm grateful. Alright, some days I'm more tired than others. Some days I have better energy for it than others. I'm pretty even keel. Pretty steady. Thankfully, their ups and downs are theirs....I just try to ride the waves. On my sailboat of life, I try to keep my rudder adjusted, my centerboard down, my sails adjusted and try not to get hit in the head by the boom!

As my friend and I said today,"Don't you wish you could call your mom and tell her about this!" Yes. And I know, no matter what, she would laugh me through it and say, oh it's just a phase.

Rations

We live in a different world than the generations before us. I just heard that the last veteran from WWII died at 110 years old. He lived in a different world. Then, I found mom's ration book from 1942. Another world. Life is different today. We live in a world of conspicuous consumption. We live with desposable. Everything is instantaneous and for our instant gratification. Have we really come a long way? Did they live a simpler life? We only have their stories. I wish I knew more of their stories. If only that ration book could talk. Ask questions. Ask to hear their stories. They matter.

Zumba!

Loud music. Intense workout. Nice women. Great instructor. Jump. Shake. Move. Dance. Sing. Clap. Count. Laugh. Reach. Stretch. Roll.

Me? Exhausted.

Crazy Bachelor

It's true. It's a crazy show...."The Bachelor." It's unreal. Literally.

The Bachelor and the chosen women have ridden on elephants, in helicopters, uncovered jeeps on safari in the wild with lions and tigers. They have soaked in hot tubs, swimming pools while wearing itsy bitsy teeny weeny bikinis. They've worn strapless evening gowns and perky sundresses with high heels and sandals. They've had dinners and picnics indoors, outdoors, on cliffs and beaches. This is a reality show. I think NOT!

Is it really possible to fall in love on cue...literally? There are 20 women or so who work themselves into a frenzy for the bachelor. It seems wild that this diverse group of women each work so hard to become the woman that they think the bachelor finds special. Each woman seems to show the bachelor her best. Best everything. Not one woman seems to go to great lengths to make sure the bachelor is the kind of guy she wants or needs in her life.

It's the personalities of each individual woman and The Bachelor that have me mesmorized.

To make this guilty pleasure even more fun, some of my friends on facebook are hooked and entertained too! We are all crazy. We know it. What fun we have commenting and predicting. We understand why our husbands, children and some friends think we're crazy. We understand. We just can't understand why they don't join in the fun and watch with us. Can't wait til next week!

Fun

Changing. Always changing. There's always one. Always there. At our fingertips. Reference. Inspiration. Information. How can we live without our books?

Bookcases

I read that bookcases will someday be obsolete ...thanks to the Kindle and the i-pad. No way. Its taken me ages to get the bookcases in the order that we like! Categorized, organized and accessorized! I love the whole process...progress isn't going to take away the process. It's. way too much fun.

BOO!

We still play hide and seek......even though I'm "it" every time!

Think ahea d

Boots have been my first choice of footwear for a few months now. Warm. Dry. Insulated. Today I chose sneakers. Perhaps a bit premature? I think so.

In The Woods

As we walked along the road, Daisy gave a tug towards the trail we used to take together all of time. I was happy to take her cue. I noted the leaves spotting the trail with much of the snow melted. As we maneuvered the trail, walking in the footsteps of others that had gone before us, with more snowy patches than leaves. It was peaceful and quiet and wet. I had chosen to wear sneakers rather than boots. It was worth it.

Daisy Day

One on one time. Quality time. Daisy and I needed some alone time. We took a wonderful walk along the road...she even sported a leash! She and I loved it...Daisy was walking proud and we were both enjoying the calm. That's the way it used to be. Calm is good. We all need calm.

Remember This?

Grass. Green grass.

Good Old Days

Devil Dogs. Twinkies. On 2 silver trays. Heaven...in the old days. Plain old fashioned junk food from the days before we knew it was junk. It's nice to have a plain old fashioned treat. The adults were the ones who ate them. The kids had no idea that they were a delicacy!

Old School

We said we'd bring dessert.

Shaggy

At friends for a "Ski Week Chili Party".....we were invited with kids and dogs! Biff and I went for the hour drive together....kids and dogs stayed home
Shaggy seemed disappointed.