snippets

Costco at noontime: my kind of tappas!

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I wonder if my brain ever gets tired of always losing the race it is in with my mouth?

lucky me

That cute little Lindsey Jo posted a story about finding four leaf clovers on a nature walk that she recently took with her sweet, wee family.  She found 8 clovers and her husband found 3. 
I remember learning long ago that being a "finder" is rare gift, but there are people who can just spot them. 

My grandfather was one of those people.

Though he was tall and had good use of only one of his eyes, he could look down in a sea of grass and spot a four leaf clover speedy quick.  He'd just bend down and there it'd be, tiny and green quatrefoil, in his work-weathered hands.

Determined to be as lucky as PawPaw was, I spend the better part of a summer break filtering through the front yard.  All that time.  I found one. 

For the longest time, I kept those two lucky clovers in my bible - the one I asked PawPaw to find for me, which took him less than 10 seconds, and the one I spend nearly 2 months looking for.  Then, on a day not too long ago, they turned to brownish-green dust in the hands of a curious toddler. 

Though now I have neither the clovers, nor my grandfather, I do have happy memories: one particular warm, sunshiny, Spring day... and a long, relaxing summer with only one goal in mind.  Lucky me!

photo credit



poor dears

Recently I have been taken aback at how insecure teenagers can be.

I have been basically living at the high school helping to create a steampunk costume wardrobe for a production of Sweeney Todd. (*insert general controversy and incredibly awesome promo photo here)

I have had the pleasure of spending time with some pretty majorly awesome students. 

Only thing is that they don't realize how wonderfully they have been made.  They hide who they are behind poorly applied make-up, baggy clothes, hard-as-nails attitudes, no-where-found-in-nature colored hair, etc. 

And then I look at my adult friends.
We are just as bad, a stubborn lot.
Trying to hold on to
"Forever Young".

a bit o'bling

One of my New Year's resolutions was to learn to make jewelry.

Now, I still haven't learned, but just like when I made my first quilt and I had a case of beginner's luck, so it goes with the jewelry. 

A sweet, generous friend cleaned out her jewelry box and gave me all of her religious medals.  I am so inspired by the beautiful creations at Catholic Bling. 

So, yeah, I grabbed some stretchy cord from Hobby Lobby and I made a few things.  It's not true necklace-making, I am doing, I suppose (though the girls have been wearing them to school).  But until I can get a block of time to take an actual jewelry-making class... y'know, stuff that requires needle-nosed pliers and jump rings.... then I am ok with stretchy necklaces.  It's certainly cheaper!

mon petite chou

We've been on a roasted veggie kick lately.  The more done, the better.  Here are some brussel sprouts and fresh green beans that are all tossed in olive oil and sprinkled with salt just before they were popped into a 425 degree oven for 20 or so minutes.

book review

One Amazing Thing by Chitra Divakarini - beautifully written!

Plus, just look at that beautiful book cover.

Who wouldn't want to have that sitting on their side table?



y'all ready for this?

No. 1 is going steady.

"Mr. WonderfulVeryFirstBoyfriend" actually asked my permission if he could ask her out (which means the same thing that going steady did in our day).  I was surprised, as I didn't think Chivalry was still alive.  Mais oui!  After I totally melted, I regained my composure and went over my expectations of him (this is her first time being more than just friends, homework comes first, they must go out with a group at this point, he must remember he is a gentleman and she must remember she is a young lady) to which he replied, "Yes ma'am.  I know what you mean and I understand." 

He asked her the next day after school.  She turned her Claddaugh ring around, and her feet have absolutely not touched the ground since then.

Homegirl is fun to be around.  She is happy.  She sings.  All the time.  She teases with her sibs.  She hugs King and I a lot more.  And she has been walking around wearing silly glasses like these:

....ever since they went to see Star Wars in 3D!

She rocks the glasses.

Mr. WonderfulVeryFirstBoyfriend has helped to bring back that fun little girl who ran away to an unknown safehaven in the 6th grade when mean girls were loose and on the prowl.  I forgot how much I missed that girl.

So ever since then it has come to my attention that the Velcro-esque noise I keep hearing is the sound of me letting go. 

 little.  by.  little.