Saturday, January 29, 2011

lost (deleted)

I accidentally deleted some of my favorite pictures from Fletcher's birthday party.  I can't even begin to comprehend how disappointed I feel....yuck.

The Percy Jackson party was great success, one of the best party's we've had.  I googled the theme and found some other great blogs with all kinds of great ideas and pictures for this theme.  What an amazing thing, to find so quickly and easily just the right bit of inspiration to kick start a mom!

Blue food, which the half-bloods like best: blueberry waffles, blueberry syrup, blueberry yogurt, blueberry juice, blueberries, blue corn chips. (there are very few natural blue foods!)

the first task (Fletcher found four scrolls throughout the party which describe the tasks to be completed)

painting sheilds
Roy's

Ezzy's

Maggy's

Lemon's

Forrest's

Fletcher's

Andy's
Bella's


task two

pin the lightening bolt on Zeus

task three

To slay Medusa (thanks Mom and Aunt Harvest for the amazing pinata!)


Medusa needed a bit of "reconstruction" halfway through the great battle

the final blow

task four: cake and a blue bead on blue silk thread for each battle weary halfblood


the blue cake with a lightening bolt (thank you Aunt Harvest!)

This is where the pictures I erased should be:  a few great shots of the whole crew with their shields, it's truly a shame!  Still Fletch loved the party, the weather was awesome, and we all had a great time!

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Thirty-Ninth Year

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIM!

Tonight Jim is celebrating his birthday at a punk show.  
D.I., at The Z Club in SLO
I hope he's fully soaking in the energy, with complete abandon
reveling in his aloneness among others who share his love of music and beer.
I hope too for just a bit of the old Jim to come out and play:
a bit of debauchery and more than a bit of endurance.

Tomorrow we will celebrate in whatever manner he wishes:
After he wakes up!

This one's for you Babe:

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Are you a Half Blood?

We're getting ready for Fletcher's Percy Jackson party this afternoon.  I think it will be his best party yet!  Pictures later....

Thursday, January 20, 2011

It's Not The Chase That I Love....

If your not listening, you don't know what you're missing:
The Avett Brothers
Maybe you are already listening, and I was the one who didn't know what I was missing.

So, if you happen by my house and find me dancing wildly around, hair flying, arms and legs flailing and the room is silent, look closely; I've got my headphones plugged into the trusty old ipod, turned up full volume listening to Kick Drum Heart:



"It's not the chase that I love, it's me following you."

Monday, January 17, 2011

Fletcher is....

8 years old!

a whip cream lover.

so happy to be another year closer to double digits, a fact he loves to remind us all of.

smiling, laughing, playing, enjoying the sunshine, goofy, and sweet, very sweet.

sleeping under his Christmas quilt.

reading (and if you look closely, he might be flipping me off, but I choose to think not.)

 reading constantly.

helping Dad play Everyword, showing Mom up again.

building, building, building.  Loving all the legos and elastic powered vehicle kits he received as gifts.  He is also following the directions for the first time on his own - no longer asking us to build for him.

playing his DSI, anywhere and everywhere.

creating.  This boy of ours is growing up.  I know that is just what happens, but still, I am a feeling a bit blindsided by how quickly it all goes.  Eight seems like such a big number, so much bigger than seven - I don't know why.  He's just amazing.

reading.  He flew through the first three Percy Jackson books he got for Christmas, he's moved on with the rest of the set he got for his birthday.  He's also reading three to four Hardy Boys books per week from the library, there is something about seeing his with one of those old books that warms my heart.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Magnolia is...

dancing, twirling, singing, laughing, constantly moving.

counting her fingers, singing along with the local hip-hop radio station, trying to put herself to bed.




getting her own library books, helping me make coffee in the morning, being just a bit more gentle with the kitties, planning her birthday party.

painting, drawing whales, categorizing people according to how they are related, trying to do everything Fletcher does - and maybe a bit more.

playing uno, taking care of her babies: nursing, feeding, carrying them in slings and then dumping them without ceremony to move on to the next adventure, riding her bike, wearing almost no clothing even when it's 60 outside.

finally wearing the dress I made for her birthday LAST year!

Jim is....

signing up for a class at cuesta.  Hoping his energy will sustain.

missing work.

cleaning, cleaning, cleaning.

using my Kindle, beating me by leaps and bounds at Everyword.  A bit obsessed.

helping Nate, talking, talking, talking and supporting him.

buying a new phone.  Bummer.  He lost one today.

enjoying 8 year old hugs and kisses that are more frequent.

reorganizing the garage.

walking his girl to sleep, cause mama is gone more.

loving the weather.

tired.  happy.  sad.  missing.  enjoying.  thinking.  resting.  living with ms.

I am.....

trying to wrap my head around all the things I want to do for Fletcher's birthday party, with the very little time I have between now and then.

feeling excited and tired.  Went to a laboring woman's house yesterday with Edana to give the mom-to-be a massage.  What a gift.  I do love homebirth.  I love birth.  Wish I could have stayed through till the end, but it was nice to come home to smiles, and a sleeping girl.

wishing I had worked harder last year to loose weight, it's only getting harder.

trying to drink my coffee without milk and sugar, yuck.

thankful I am going to start earlier hours at the preschool = more time with family and or more likely more time to build massage practice and work with Edana.

amazed by my kids, they are so big, both physically and emotionally.  WOW.  Life is amazing and so good.

Thursday, January 13, 2011