About a boy. And his mom. And photography. And the occasional sentence fragment.
The entire purpose for my newly planted bed of sunflowers? Photos. And here they begin. Expect more. Does anyone want sunflower seeds? We don't eat them and well we are going to have 16 Mammoth sunflowers in our backyard. Expected size? 12 Feet! Just for the photos because well, that's what makes me happy!
We spent the entire weekend digging in the garden! Ian loved transferring worms to the garden beds and kept going back to check on them. It was a beautiful warm day perfect for being outside and soaking up the heat.
Especially exciting to know in 50-75 days we will have
Sweet Corn
Mammoth Sunflowers
Beefsteak Tomatoes
3 Varieties of Heirloom Tomatoes (including a black one!)
Strawberries
Squash
Green Beans
Bell Peppers
Carrots
Soy Beans
Okra
and more!
After much needed baths for a dirty crew we are exhausted and off to bed! More tales from the garden soon!
Ian asked for Halloween books before we even got to the library. Once there he knew EXACTLY where to find them and EXACTLY how to pick them out from the others. The kid LOVES Halloween. I encouraged reading some Easter books but he would have none of that. Is my child the only one who is so focused on one holiday? Should I worry?! ;-)
*************
After 5 days cooped up inside, I was able to go outside today! I almost feel normal...almost. I'll be so appreciative of feeling good again. Thanks for all the well wishes!
Most days this little man makes me smile. Today was an exceptionally good one! We started our day with a coffee and muffin at Weatherstone with Dad as a special it's the last day before spring break outing. Ian and I walked home, he without complaining or needing to be carried, me with my camera in hand. I tried I Spy to no avail as he replied, "I want to do nuffing." So nuffing it was. What a great walk. He found dandelions and had fun both blowing them everywhere and saying their name!
Dad was home by 1PM and spring break began for some of us in the house! He's a happy little man!
It's Spring/Bug month at school so we dug through toys to find the perfect bug to take tomorrow. I think the cricket is the choice as long as the dinosaur doesn't eat him!
Ian and I ventured out to the zoo today. Of everything there the fish have been his favorite for as long as I can remember. He sat here for at least 15 minutes and talked to them, pointed out which one he liked most (the large black one) and tried to strike up conversations with every child that stopped by.
I like the fact that the journaling on those templates is not overwhelming to the photos and that there is room for more than just one line if you need to "say more" about a photo.Yep, I need more than one line. I do (often) have a lot to say!
I have to say I like #3 the best! It just looks really sharp. And it's making me want to see the whole book. AND try it for myself!Sharp is good as is wanting to look at the whole book! Definitely swayed me. My dear friend Sarah sealed the deal though
We spent a wonderful weekend with my mom even with a sick little guy and a short visit. I have lots and lots of photos but unfortunately the week is off and I'm supposed to be getting things done!
Off to work this morning and a few others classes this week.
Hoping for time later to post photos and just relax with a little cup of tea.
The Just Between Friends Consignment Sale is this weekend and once again I found just enough items to put in the sale to get a presale pass! I arrived just in time yesterday for the line to begin to get really long for checkout so I grabbed some clothes, a cute pair of shoes and Candy Land!
Ian was so excited to see it. On the drive home he kept saying to me, "look I'm in CandyLand" as he held the box with his little head peaking over it! No photo...just fun memory!
We immediately opened it up for a Candy Land fest when we arrived home! His first board game and he seems to be the perfect age for it! He was a little confused when dad got stuck in licorice and had to lose a turn. He cried and told dad he'd fix it. So on his next turn he insisted that he move dad out of the licorice. I guess we'll be bending those Candy Land rules some! I love that he won without us rigging it and then was even more excited when we arrived at the end with him! Woohoo's and arm pumping ensued! (nothing like a three year old arm pump, it cracks me up!)
I'm looking forward to more complex games, but I hope playing with him is always so easy!
After a busy day playing with friends he fell asleep in the car. I moved him to the couch and he continued to sleep. I couldn't resist taking a few photos of him tucked into his favorite blanket. It reminds me so much of a newborn photo, the photo I never got of him.
Phase #1 of our backyard project is in full force! I'm calling it the big clean up for lack of more creativity. We've started removing all of the old rocks, cinder blocks, wood and junk that has been deposited there both before our purchase and since we moved in last May. Tuesday the tree company comes to remove six of the trees from our arboretum! Someone seriously liked trees before us! I'm fond of them, but not at the expense of actually having ANY sunlight land on a patch of soil. If you look at our house on google earth all you see is the large canopy of green. The six that are going all started as two trees but over the years grew enough new ones out of the original trunk to count as six trees! None of them are healthy and definitely not nice to look at! I think we'll be left with about 6 trees in the backyard not including the 5 palm trees!
After the trees are removed we can begin the fun of working up the soil and beginning to put in our veggie beds! Ian will be very sad to see all of the weeds go! He LOVES creating paths through them and looking for bugs. I'm hoping the discovery of tons of worms will fill the weed space for him!
So anyone need a little exercise? We'd love to have the help!
Just a short trip from home today and I was able to visit my sister and niece who had travelled to Plymouth for the California High School Rodeo Association's Challenge of Champions. When we lived closer I was able to watch Kylie ride more often but that has been a long time now!
With them so close we couldn't miss the opportunity to say hello and take Ian to his first Rodeo. He loved seeing the horses and was fearless around them (unlike his mother who has never enjoyed the experience and has always wondered how she is part of her family!)
Kylie was there doing her Queen duties which meant a FAST ride in for the grand entry. It reminded me of watching her mom do the same years ago for the Springville Rodeo.
Definitely not my normal Saturday spot to hang out, but a fun time! (I did wonder though how much they'd all want me there if they knew my food preferences!)
***ETA - Well, I guess I did grow up in a horse loving, farming family. We raised grapes, oranges, olives, and a few other crops. Playing outside meant not going past the first big standpipe. DH often says I grew up on Little House on the Prairie. So yep, I have some horses in my roots. I always asked if I was adopted, and when I graduated from college they gave me a card confirming it ;-) but we all look much too alike to really believe it!
****E(again)TA - I did do the pigeon thing for a while Rosie and rabbits. I attempted two lambs one actually named Rosie Mae, but that really wasn't my thing! Ian liked seeing all of the horses and even kissed Kylie's! He was a little confused by the events though. The first thing he saw was the bareback riders and just didn't get why the horses were bucking so much and why the guy fell off! He made it through about four events with the help of the clown (which wasn't quite funny enough for him) before he said, "let's go home." He did tell Auntie Kelly that he was going to be a cowboy for Halloween. We'll just add it to the ever growing list!
2. Katie Pertiet's Template with modifications (2 page spread per week)
3. Anna Aspnes' Template (one page spread per week)
I can easily change the papers and colors, so it is really the template I need to decide on! I think I need to just go with a kraft background since that is my one true scrapbooking love!When arrived at Ian's school today and discovered they had repainted the hopscotch squares! Ian was so excited. Before he would even go in the building he asked if I would play with him. He hopped square to square announcing the numbers with just a little help from mom!
When I picked him up this afternoon. Miss Steffie told me when he woke up from his nap he declared he didn't need a snack because he wanted to play hopscotch! Silly boy. :)
He loved his St. Patrick's Day shirt and announced to everyone that his Mumzy made it!
Ian and I went for a walk this morning. Nothing unusual. To his school to drop off a book we'd borrowed, Weatherstone for a little coffee and his usual pumpkin muffin. Walking towards home afterwards the overcast sky made for perfect diffused light! I asked him if he wanted to take photos and he promptly announced, "no thank you." Oh, so polite that little man!
When I spied daffodils I couldn't resist. They are second in my world only to tulips. I love their bright yellow and their great shape! I plopped myself on the sidewalk to get eye level with it at just the right angle. I must have looked like I was struggling a bit as he announced, "I'll help!" climbed out of his stroller and grabbed the stem to move it. "I'll move it for you momma." I know it is something he's watched his dad do for me on many a photo outing! I couldn't resist capturing those sweet little fingers!
I have a real assistant now! Off to teach him a few lighting techniques...do you think he is too small to hold my reflector?
We don't shop. Sometimes Target, but never the mall. It had literally been over two years since I'd been. Ian has no memory of ever being there since his last time was in a stroller with friends on a pre walking play date!
We found out recently that a new Lego Store had opened and since he has fully embraced the brick and had earned a new toy after two weeks of getting dressed and going to school without argument it seemed like the right thing to do!
Of course, we wake up at 6AM on Sunday and have to explain why we can't go immediately! We finally are able to go, arriving to discover that just because we are out and moving does not mean stores are open! So we went up and down the escalator and the elevator for 20 minutes before the stores opened. He was so proud to go up the escalator by himself. I'll admit it was a little worrisome as he can barely reach the railing and we weren't sure what he'd do at the top! I got much closer to him as we approached the launch! :)
A little after 11AM the Lego Store opened (nothing in comparison to DisneyWorld's the only one I'd seen before, but how can it possibly compete?!). Ian quickly made the rounds of the edges with Dad while the 20 sales clerk explained to me that Duplos would really be best for him. I just smiled and nodded as I thought, "yeah, right!" Now, if they made Star Wars Duplo sized he'd be all over it. He just isn't into Thomas!
A 3/4 trip around the store, he discovered the play table. Sat for 5 minutes was done with that. Spied some Star Wars guys by the register. I held them up, said, "Ian do you want these?" He said yes. Held them in his hands. Looked at me and said, "let's go home."
Paid for. Under $40. Out the door. Down the elevator. In the car. Headed Home.
11:18
My guess is that it will not always be this easy!
ETA...the crazy thing? Only time for 1 photo! That's it. 1. And it isn't even of Ian! :)
Success! Mix a bunch of the under five crowd, paint, cooked spaghetti and a Saturday evening for fun, fun fun!
Ian's preschool's open house and art party for Second Saturday was a blast! Some mom I know thought it would be a grand idea if she coordinate it...and despite her very tired feet and body she's happy about the results! Lots of families came to help and even more showed up to enjoy the evening of food, beverages and art for the little people!
The highlight of my evening was definitely the spaghetti art! We cooked spaghetti, let them dip it in paint and then they threw it at large sheets of paper on the fence. Hysterical!
And the only child I didn't photograph? My own...geez!
A BEAUTIFUL day today! By 2PM I knew exactly what we were going to do as soon as Shea arrived home from school! Of course...bike ride to Rubicon!
Just perfect afternoon with our regular crowd! Sidewalk chalk art for Ian. Warmth and beer for us. What more do you need?
I really do take photos of more than beer, just seems my beer shots were the only ones in focus today! Go figure! ;-)
MAD DIGITAL SKILLZIt's a bargain for a lot of Pattie goodness! Hope to see you over there!
Do more with digital products now!
If you’ve been avoiding masks, wondering what more you could do with digital brushes, thinking there must be a way to make that paper clip attach more realistically, or questioning any number of product possibilities, then it’s time for the “mad skillz” challenge. Writer, teacher, and digital product designer Pattie Knox will show you how to use digital products to the max.
You get: 6 packed lessons, forum support, 12 awesome digital products from Designer Digitals.
Mad Digital Skillz with Pattie Knox online class runs Mar 9 to Mar 26. Cost is $35.
Some days this is just what a girl needs! Between training a full day class, the time change, and dragging a little boy out of the house who wanted his regular "home-day" it was a long day!
The best part of this picture? Beer...homemade. Pizza...vegan and homemade including the crust! It seems Shea has a knack for making anything with yeast!
A nice day at home with some exploration into the back most part of our back yard. It is a little, ummm, green? Lush? Okay...it has really tall weeds that aren't sticky or brown or too ugly just yet. Ian discovered a bunch of lady bugs and was thrilled to show me! I love that something he didn't want to be around last year is a new thrill for him this year!
He's never been but he certainly has a keen grasp of exactly what goes on there! Today was just beautiful sunny almost warm day so we spent most of it outside. A walk for coffee in the morning. Playing basketball in the backyard, talking to Joe in the front yard and then off to Rubicon in the afternoon. Yes. Yes. I know. We went there yesterday. We are just stimulating the local economy and building community. It's just so nice to have a place where they know our names ;-)
After a few adult beverages and a snack we rode our bikes to the Capital and let Ian play on the front steps. Funny how that has become one of our favorite spots to play, even better than a real park or a playground. We run, jump, play hide and seek, watch the fish, visit the gigantic firefighters and repeat it all. A very versatile spot!
We took a little break and sat on the steps and Ian declared he was a clown at the circus. He performed for us complete with pie in the face and water squirting (where does he get this stuff?!) He then insisted we each follow his lead. So up went dad. Here's dad's version of pie in the face.
Since I had the camera you don't get to see my version, but I was informed I didn't jump or stick my tongue out enough, but did get much praise for shooting water at them instead of just myself!
Then for some crazy reason I thought it would be fun to ride our bikes along the river to get home. So about 5 miles later we were home! I know it doesn't sound far, but let me remind you we were on 3 speed cruisers that weigh about 30 pounds each, one pulling an additional 26 pound load! Needless to say, it was a fun way to end our day before we are off to bed early! (and all plan to sleep well!)
***********************
I'm thinking we should all buy the house next door together!
Kathie could use it during the winter, plenty of room for Buddy to romp!
My mom could use it on her monthly weekend trip to visit Ian. (then he could go to Mumzy's house)
Unless of course, Amy's boys move in, but only if they insist on playing music loudly a lot and having lots of friends over because that really is what we enjoyed most about our former neighbors!
My friend Kathie from ND commented that I don't post as well as I used to...so I'm going to attempt to change that!
Today was a homeday. Always good days. We played legos, star wars, dinosaurs, read books, ate snacks, attempted a nap, more star wars, more legos, more snacks. Then off to the park to meet friends we just don't see often enough!
All of that work meant we NEEDED a little evening break so family time at Rubicon. Ahhhh, life is so much better with Rubicon in it!
...and Paul and Joe are gone. It feels very quiet and lonely on our end of the street.
Anybody want to be our neighbors?
It was an on again off again chance we were going to make it to watch the Tour of California today. Ian has been battling a cold for a week and Shea wasn't feeling well either.
I left them napping and joined Justin to watch. So glad I made it out! I had a blast taking photos in the near perfect overcast light.
About 45 minutes before it was over Shea showed up with Ian. Fun to watch it together! Ian cheered as each rider went by, but I think he was a little more impressed with the motorcycles behind each bike!
Any guesses who this guy is?? Click on the photo to see the non cut off version!
The most important thing she’d learned over the years was that there was no way to be a perfect mother and a million ways to be a good one. 
— Jill Churchill
Today I'm a good mom. I hung out with him at school for a bit. I played dinosaurs with him. And tonight we're baking cookies together. That leaves 999,997 more ways!
Cookies seem to be a theme in our house this week! Today Ian and I made Vegan Sugar Cookies that were yummy! He loves cutting them out and runs into the kitchen over and over to check them. Today was pink frosting and no sprinkles. And the photo? He's doing his best job of hiding his face, his latest photo trick with me. Hold anything he can up and ask for a photo with it strategically placed in front of him. I guess I really did want a photo of those dirty fingernails! Makes me wonder how big his impish smile is behind that heart!
