Five or Fifteen Things

Colorful kids--and generous parents. My class is looking good. 

Beautiful children and their self-portraits.

Last week they did an exciting tie-dye project led by some terrific parents in my room. We frequently talk about primary and secondary colors, so it was wonderful to see all the colors blended together in a real-life way. 

Today we made a beautiful book of thank you notes. My students are so creative and growing so much as a writers and independent humans. It is so fun to witnessed. And I found the perfect use for a fancy tie-dye patterned pad of post-its I was gifted.

I did all the paperwork (not my strength) required to transfer to a new salary class. Moving to a new state,  I still started at Class 1 even with a high quality Masters degree. I managed to earn over 20 units in two years (evening classes, summer Writing Project) since working for this district. I feel accomplished and am happy to make a bit more money.

Really late in the game on this, but I bought an eyelash curler. I curled my lashes and think it actually DOES make a big difference. Va-va-vooom. A little scary. Do you get use to it?

Tonight I will eat pineapple upside down cake to celebrate a friend and neighbor's 32nd birthday. I don't have fancy digs but I love my community. My neighbors are my friends. We borrow things from one another, crowd together and watch TV in our PJs, and stumble upon easy conversations at the laundry room or mailboxes. Dorms for grown-ups.

My eyes are so tired of pinks and red and glitter and hearts. I can't wait for the switch to March. I find spring the most thrilling and dramatic season....I LOVE flowers and rainbows and clovers and soothing green. If Summer is the weekend of the Year, Spring is like Thursday night before the weekend. Friday Eve...   Two more days and then I refresh my calendar and classroom and begin celebrating spring. 

Do you see signs of a new season? What things are you looking forward to?

July

Bike shopping. I've been on my bike everyday to attend a nearby writing institute.

I love it and am considering an upgrade from my old school 24 inch Girls (too small) Schwinn.

I ride on a bike path at a snails pace so I confess...I don't wear a helmet.

But I adore this watermelon one.

Brer, my dear neighbors' bunny, prepares for big changes in his household.

He remains calm while...

Courtney is boldly taking on motherhood. I am so excited to witness this!

She is sweet and caring and full of grace and intelligence.

I have a hunch this will be a happy baby.

Living the DC Dream

I had a wonderful outing with my bestie from Maui days. She has settled in DC and lives her life with charm and grace. I call it living the DC Dream. We were in Georgetown and she suggested kayaking (I saw later on the news Obama was in Georgetown getting ice cream with his daughters). It was perfect weather; the warm balmy air combined with the effect of being on the water left me in a happy daze.

Farmers Market: Fall Version

Pom Poms.

More Jewels.

 

Fresh flowers...smell like Hawaiian leis.

Where almonds come from.

 Healthy mama.

From Ashley

We opened our wedding gift from our late friend Ashley.
What a dear heart.

I will always treasure this vase from my fellow
flower and farmer's market loving friend.

Remembering Ashley

Photos from the Ashley Marie Smith Memorial Fund, by my sister Holly.

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them. Chris will be asked to approve all tags before others can see them.

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them. Chris will be asked to approve all tags before others can see them.

A collage my sister Lantana put together of her dear friend Ashley.  So many of these pictures make us smile.  It reminds me of the importance of taking picture and celebrating moments.

 Ashley's Hawaii ohana gathered at the beach to remember our ocean-loving friend's beautiful life.

 

 Paddling out for prayer and tossing loose flowers.

Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them. Chris will be asked to approve all tags before others can see them.

 You are loved and will live on in our hearts.   To learn more about Ashley and her legacy you can visit The Ashley Smith Memorial Fund page on facebook.

To Ashley: Sisterhood is Forever...

My sisters, bottom and top left. 

Their sister-friend Ashley, on the right.

And when the broken-hearted people living in the world agree,
There will be an answer, let it be.
For though they may be parted there is still a chance that
They will see,
There will be an answer. Let it be. 

-The Beatles-

Dear Ashley,

What will we do without you?  What will the earth do? It seems impossible that you are gone. You were so strong and beautiful, a Division One athlete that schooled my tomboy sisters.  Your stunning smile will be missed forever. You were a bubbly conversationalist who adapted easily to any new situation.

We are so so so proud of you Ashley.  Finishing year four of your PHD in marine bio.  You worked your butt off in the lab.  You never whined, you were always easygoing and game for an adventure.  From your homeland Chicago you made it to college in North Carolina, then grad school all on your own in Hawaii.  Lany was soooo happy when she met you that first week.  An instant homegirl!  Our term for the kind of effortless forever friend you can always be yourself around.

You adopted Holly into your circle.  And Oliver, our picky chihuahua, adored you too.  And I loved you! You were so solid and grounded. And wholesome (one of my highest compliments).  A friend to us all.  I am so glad you got to come home to Maui with us.  You fit in easily as the fourth sister. 

Your last adventure brought you to Australia...you were so motivated... saving the coral reefs. You were such a good girl.  Walking by yourself early every Sunday morning to church.  You gave easily and also forgave easily.   

Thank you for your friendship, your contributions, your positivity. You will never be forgotten. You will always be our ocean-loving Splashley!

The wedding gift you brought over is still wrapped and waiting in my sisters' living room. I will open them this summer when I get home. I wish it could be under different circumstances. 

Our hearts and heads are hungover in grief but we will make sure your legacy lives on.  Sisterhood is forever.  We love you dear Ashley!

Emily

Marble Mini-Headshot Magnets

You know those little sheets of thumbnail size photos you get when printing photos? I recently thought of the perfect thing to do with them!

I have been making these little bubble magnets for years, using round/flat marbles, a pack round magnets, and silicone glue. I usually cut out eye-catching graphics from old magazines.

I made a batch using the mini photo-headshots. It works best with close up portraits. Featured above: Andrew in his earflap winter hat, a portrait of my grandmother Libby as a young woman, a couple-shot of my friendly neighbors, and my cousin's baby.

Detailed instructions of marble-magnet-making can be found at Not Martha.

Playa-Del-Rey, California

I went down to LA to see my best girlfriend.
Dr. Cristina was visiting from snowy DC.
We reminisced on Maui and life
as we laid by the pool .
She got me off coffee
and onto fresh juice.
We (mostly jokingly) tried on dresses
for weddings to come, since we're
both betrothed Bettys.
She gave me the courage
to face the manicure ladies.
And we celebrated her stylish
Grandma Viv's Valentine's birthday
with sushi, vino, and laughter.

Outside my Door

A recent travel article in USA Today mentioned Santa Barbara's bike-riding, culture-loving, yoga-mat-carrying residents.  This pictures sort of proves their point.  Andrew comes home from work as Gina arrives to whisk me off for a yoga session.

The Magic of Pazelle

My friend invited me over

to show me the ways of her

late Italian grandmother.

The secret ingredient.

Magical pazelle, warm from the press.

 Light, flakey, and delicious.
Italian Christmas cookies.
A tradition worth sharing.

I am...

Reading…"The Middle Place."  It has a cancer-theme so part of me thought enough already while the other part of me thought the-cover-is-so-appealing and Oprah-Magazine-recommended-it and there-it-is-sitting in-the-library's honorback-pile.  

Keeping…my spirits up. Yoga, great friends, a fun job (kindergarten!), and an easygoing boyfriend all contribute greatly. So much to be grateful for.

Baking… A gigundo Italian squash a neighbor offered me from his garden.  For ratatouille-ala-Emily.  But thinking about baking coffee cake .

Watching…last seen: Friday night double feature of "Shrek the Halls" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas.” Gosh we are wholesome.

Making… Vegan food. And not deliberately.  I find windows to grocery shop ｗhen not headed home therefore avoiding things that require refrigeration (eggs, butter, cheese, yogurt). Guess I have to fatten my man up on olive oil.

Grinning... over the 2 month-old Bulldog puppy I saw at a coffee shop today.  She was a drawing a crowd with her sparkling-pink-collar and roly-poly piglet-like body. Is my new affinity for bulldogs due to my results on an online quiz entitled, What Dog Breed Are You?

Admiring...the white gerbera daisies sitting before me, carefully arranged in an Andrew-made-vase. Flowers= the best $2 I spend at the Farmers Market each week.

Congratulating…Boyfriend for completing his Oral Exams--now an official PHD candidate, Sister for finishing up her part in decorating the Trump Tower in Honolulu, and Cousin for running the 13.1-mile Las Vegas Rock n Roll Half Marathon, to raise funds for a cure for Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis.

What's up in your life readers?  Feel free to comment with a verb from your life.

Telling Stories With Pictures

Inspired by the artwork of BFF's Hillary and Heidi.

That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.  
-Henry David Thoreau

I love blogging. And encouraging others to give it a whirl. I began blogging with trepidation and still don't work to network or gather followers or popularity. My blog has developed into a sort of photo-journal and I've grown more comfortable and freed up with practice. Still, most of my blog crushes are people I adore in real life (see column to the left).

One thing I am most proud of is my friends.  I must have marvelous taste in people because I can't help but be inspired by company I keep and the friends I've collected over the years

Some good friends recently started a blog with this idea:  take a photo everyday, with whatever device is available, and do not share the photos until they are posted. 

Hillary and Heidi are smart and funny. These girls have natural sass, style, and wit. They've both encourage me artistically and now I can get my daily dose and a peak into the simple pleasures and beauty in their worlds.  I am also inspired to be more a more consistent blogger.  I've also been applying my cousin's present-getting-philosophy: favor quantity, not quality. ;-)  

 You can wander over to my favorite new blog at:

http://alotcanhappeninayear.com/

Cuteness Overload

My friend's sweet Yorkie knows he melts hearts.

This California park had a very Oregonian feel to it. In a good way.There is a new nip in the air. I'm finding scarves especially comforting and I now wear my fuggs quite comfortably. Leaves piled on the stoop overnight.  And we bought our tree!  More on that very soon...

Textures of Thanks

So much to be thankful for.
The colors and textures of this holiday captured me
As I meditated alone in my kitchen.
Savoring moments with beautiful plants
Carefully grown for us to enjoy.

Colors were collected for display:

Prehistoric pink proteas,
Purifying white sage, 

Cheery citrus boughs,
 And golden pomegranate branches 

Dotted with jeweled fruit.

 

Celebrating *true* riches 

With good-hearted people.

So much to be thankful for. 

Gaviota, California

We took a lovely ramble through these fleshy hills.

With friends who love each other.
Makes my heart happy.

Grateful I have strong (apparently long!) healthy legs
that carry me where I want to go.

And grateful for warm friends and warm springs
that help to soak my soreness away.

Celebrating Shiloh

Friends gathered together in celebration and remembrance

of baby angel Shiloh.

And whispered sweet nothings on seed-laced notes...

That danced toward the heavens in a clustered swirl.

Goodbye sweet angels...

you've changed our world forever.

Twenty Eight is...

Cyclamen in custom pot--courtesy of Rachel.

Stuffed skunklet.I have issues I need to work out. Thanks Gina!

A California tradition: birthday orchid from TJs.

 
Like old maple syrup 
and not specifically intended for those born in October, 
but fitting just the same.   

Amber (my middle name!) earrings from Andrew. The guy has good taste (he picked me, after all)--and writes clever notes. 

In Memory of Graham R. Olsen

July 16, 2002 ~ September 28, 2006

 

Where did you come from baby, dear?
Out of the everywhere and into here
Where did you get those eyes so blue?
Out of the sky as I came through

What makes the light in them sparkle and spin?
Some of the starry spikes got left in
Where did you get that little tear?
I found it waiting when I got here

What makes your forehead so smooth and so high?
A soft hand stroked it as I went by
What makes your cheek like a warm pink rose?
I saw something better than anyone knows

Whence the three-cornered smile of bliss?
The Angels as one gave me a kiss
Where did you get this pearly ear
God spoke, and it came out to hear

Where did you get those hands and arms?
Love made itself into hooks and bands
Feet whence you come from, darling things?
From the very same box as the cherub's wings

How did they all just come to be you?
God thought about me, and so I grew
But how did you come to us, baby dear?
God thought about you

So I am here

George MacDonald - 1871

I read this poem three years ago at Graham's memorial.Ｉwas his nanny (his Emmy), caregiver, and friend.  One of my favorite memories is reading to Graham while holding him and studying his exquisitely beautiful face. This poem was in an anthology I read aloud from regularly and always felt like it was written for dear Bubs. It was always clear he came from the heavens.