The T-Birds- A Most Glorious Of Debuts.

Yes.

They are here.

More talk on them tomorrow...

Monday Memo.

Well now, with the boys back at school, the rest of us have to busy ourselves so we don't miss them so much.

Minna and I cleaned and redecorated her room. Goodbye size 18 month clothing! See ya later stacking blocks and puzzles meant for babies. We need a big girl room! A 3 year old room.

This 3 year old likes how it feels.

We smoked some pinks today. I don't know what smoked salmon is supposed to look like. It doesn't look that great but it tasted and smelled really good. We will keep at it and try different brine concoctions. When I say "we", I mean Jeff. I didn't help. At all. I was a good taste tester though. The best part is that we got the electric smoker with the house. Might as well try our hand at smoking stuff right?

*Speaking of fish- check out part two of "North By Northwest" over at The Great Read. Fun reading recommendations and more of my pictures. Plus, another Avett Brothers video. Go for that at least!

Also, I started collecting egg cartons already and stacking them on top of the fridge. The chicks will be here by the weekend! Yay! We won't have actual eggs from our soon-to-be chickens for months and months though. I want to be ready.

Of course I took a picture of them...can you tell I am slowly but surely losing my strong natural light (not, my mind) in the house? The days are getting shorter and leaning toward the dim side.

We are rollin' with it.

You have a good start to your week?

saturday, sunday

This Moment and The Avett's And I Are Kindred.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-Amanda Soule (SouleMama)

So I think I am overly excited about this post. (Thanks again Michele!) I know I mentioned it yesterday and I am sure everybody has already seen it. I just love it though! Did you watch the video of The Avett's singing "I and Love and You"? Did you see the 4-wheelers and chickens and vintage cereal bowl? How do the Avett's know me so well? :)

Have a great weekend!

Notes And Some Mud.

First week of school, almost over! The boys are off to a great start. Very excited and motivated so far. Feels good.

Been rained on all week. Except one day when I got to take some yard pictures. We came home from our vacation to a lush, green, crazy overgrown spread. Just the way I like it! The tunnels and forts in the brush behind the greenhouse are epic.

Along with all the green and surprise flowers and weeds, we also have lots of mud! So much mud. Mud is only fun for Minna when wearing her fanciest dress. Can't do anything about that. Except photograph it.

Fun news regarding my muddy-girl... she is going to start ballet soon! The class is actually a creative dance class designed for 3 year olds. It's in the sweetest kid-sized home studio that overlooks the ocean. I hope she loves it. More importantly, I hope they let me take pictures all the time.

One last little note- Michele over at The Great Read let me put together a collection of library finds that she may be featuring along with some of my photographs tomorrow! Fun! She creates these wonderful library collections that blend perfectly and include a book, a movie, a cookbook and a music selection. Her idea is to make going to the library an exciting, educational and well-rounded experience. Really, her choices are SO good.

My collection was inspired by our first summer here in our new home. They remind me of coastal/island life, dreamy, romantic summer days spent in the trees, hidden swimming holes, simple, honest living, passionate fishermen and soaking in the outdoors as much as possible. It's all in there.

And it's all here.

She may do a second feature including Alaskan/coastal inspired reads on Monday. Hope you go check it out and look through all of her beautifully balanced collections.

Bet you find something good...

Gotta Feeling About These Two...

One of our big reasons for taking our trip this summer was to attend Jeff's baby sister's wedding. What a romantic and sweet and genuine wedding it was! That new brother-in-law of mine magically made tents and umbrellas wrapped with matching hand towels for each guest appear the morning of, as rain pounded the location. Amazing. Even more amazing was that the sun peeked out just as the bride started her walk down the staircase. No joke.

Anyway, I knew I wanted to stitch something for them as part of their wedding gift. My original idea was to embellish an overhead view of the map I found of the gardens where they were marrying. I even drew it out all fancy, traced, retraced and put about 10 hours of stitching flowers into that idea before I decided against it. It wasn't even bad. I just decided I hated it.

So, instead, I used the pretty leaves and birds from their invitations and tried to recreate them on a little panel. I used three shades of the light, yellowy green and a natural colored piece of linen from our local yarn store. (The owner happens to be an embroiderer herself. :)

Then, I just stitched in the wedding date and bound it with brown. I was happy with it. Especially the birds flying towards each other. Romantic touch, I thought.

I was sooooo nervous giving it to them. Sweating, actually. They seemed to love it and like that it was drawn from their invites and stuff. Phew!

I really loved making it and I love them. That's what it's about right?

Also, I keep meaning to share that we had a fun limo ride to the wedding. There were 11 people all dressed up and excited crammed in there. That song, "I gotta feelin', woo hooo, that tonight's gonna be a good night..." (Black Eyed Peas) came on and all of us, with our various ages and rhythmic abilities started toe tapping and dancing in our seats. It seemed so fitting and hilarious and perfect.

The only downer is that I learned exactly how old and out of touch I am. The boys wanted to get that song to dance to at home and I kept asking everybody, "What was that new song that we all danced to in the limo yesterday?"

Well, yeah, it was new... in 2009. Oh brother.

But it's got the kids and I dancing here and now in 2011. Plus it will always remind me of us giddy in the limo, riding and dancin' in style. It really was a good night.

Chickens and School. (Not In That Order.)

My boys went back to school today.

It seemed to be a very long day for us left behind. For them, I am told, it flew by. I remember the first day of school and how exciting it was. I am glad they feel that way too. Takes the bite outta missing them, just a little.

The rest of us went out to breakfast and worked around the house. Minna fluffed the bedding in the chick brooder as she does every day. Some days she is fully clothed. Others, a little less so.

*NOTE* I can assure you, that if you happen to come by to visit the chicks after they arrive, Minna will be mostly clothed. Promise.

Sadly, the batch of chicks that our wonderful neighbors were hoping to hatch for us didn't make it. We were bummed, but quickly perked up because we were able to find 15 that can come live with us! They get here on September 2nd! I will let you know how it goes because they are coming to Kodiak... by mail! Can you even believe it?

Minna and I were inspired by this pretty yellow, green, orange combo outside the brooder area window. Which is in the greenhouse right now. I want them to be in the house, but space and cooperation from the husband are lacking. Can't complain, J has been very cooperative about all the other chicken stuff so far. I won't push it.

Anyway, we love that green and orange and made a little garland for the chicks. Minna helped me sew. She is so good at lifting and lowering the foot for me. Lets me sew forever if she gets to do that part.

It means "hello, we love you, welcome home!" in chicken language. Can't wait til they get here. Sully can't wait to bring one in to school on "pet day". Minna says she is naming one "Pita" and one "Suzie". Sound like perfect chicken names to me.

Happy first day of school everybody!

friday-sunday

This Moment.

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

-Amanda Soule (SouleMama)

It's our last weekend before school starts. (What?)

Gonna make it count...

Have a great one!

"Kodi", For Short.

So here is a story I have been meaning to share for a year now. I am glad I waited (or was lazy) because I have such a good follow up! With pictures too!

Meet, Kodi.

It stands for Kodiak. Kodiak is kind of a masculine name for a teeny girl kitten. So, Kodi it is. Sully found Kodi, with her eyes still shut, on the floor of the hay barn out in Two Rock. A huge truck had earlier moved hay bales out of the barn and we think, may have sadly disturbed a mama and her kittens.

We searched, and waited all evening for any sign of a mama cat. Nothing.

It also happened to be our very last night in that house by the hay barn. That same day, all of our stuff had been packed and prepped to ship here. Kodi needed a home. And Grandma willingly gave her one.

She was fed from a teeny bottle that Grandma wrapped with a piece of an old woolly sweater. Kodi would grab it and knead with her claws. Genius! Besides grandma, no one loved (loves) Kodi more than the boy who found her. I always say he saved her. One more day and he wouldn't have been there to hear her little mews.

Here she is one year ago, learning to be a cat.

Here she now! We stayed at Grandma's house on our trip to California and got to see her all grown up!

She doesn't love to be held as she did when she was a kitten and the camera kind of scared her. So we just watched and enjoyed having her around. We liked telling stories about when she was a baby.

Sully somehow got to hold her and get a few purrs out of her. He just has a way. Oh! How he loves her and ALL cats, really.

She knows.

Three Down. Three To Go.

So we came home with SIX suitcases. We had to bring home a bunch of almost free books and a friend gave the boys tons of outgrown clothing. Love cool free clothes. Of the six, I have unpacked three. Not much else besides sleeping and recovering from a stomach bug has happened indoors for the past few days.

That is because it has been calm and windless and sunny and warm and amazing out.

Instead, we have managed to learn some new fishing skills.

And cast and cast and cast.

And make fishing look so easy.

Can you believe we can walk to this river?

I only believe it because I did it today.

It took about 5 minutes.

Those last three suitcases will be unpacked eventually. They will just wait for me. The sun won't. Neither will school. I think I have my priorities in order.

Have a great evening!

Seven. The Year You Grow Into Your Teeth.

I got lots of things to tell you, and lots of unpacking to (ignore) do, and some embroidery must be done that won't stitch itself. But the fact that my younger boy turned seven last week is WAY more important than all that. I mean, really.

Here he is, last year in a hay barn out in Two Rock. Being Colyer. He has short hair and that hat is obviously too big.

Here he is this year. That hat almost fits because his hair is so scrumptiously big.

And next year, all those new teeth will fit him and perhaps I will have talked him into a trim at some point.

Golly. I hope not.

Happy, Happy Birthday C!

Revelations From Our Multi-Phase Trip...

PHASE ONE-

A Portland wedding.

"Beloved little sisters will always be little sisters,

even with a diamond and new last name."

(and big brothers will never be too big to hold their little sister's bouquet for her.)

PHASE TWO-

Week-o-beach house on the Oregon Coast.

"A single is still a perfect fit for this pair of growing boys."

(this summer may be the last though...)

"Three generations of flip flops takes up a lot of sandy real estate."

PHASE THREE-

Hometown Frolic.

"Nothing like the feeling of going back to the places and people that really know you."

-The kids played in the same houses that we played in. The homes that saw us become grown-ups.

-I laughed about life and marriage with the same girls I giggled with about first bras and kisses, more than 20 years ago.

-We drove by the high school where that cute science lab partner I had would someday be my husband. Never saw that one comin!

-We lounged in a hammock that swings on the very spot I married him.

-On Colyer's birthday, we drove by the little birth center where he was born. (He wishes though, that he were born at the karate school next door instead.)

After a busy-wonderful three weeks, we said goodbye to everybody in the same driveway that we did almost a year ago when we moved here. Only this time, we weren't starting all over in a new place. We were coming home, and it is so good to be back.

What's everybody been doing this past month?