Twilight

Ok, I just read the 500 page book "Twilight" in a 24 hr period. (im too embarressed to tell you when I went to bed.) Now I need to get my hands on the next one. Not only is Meyers an amazing writer by making her characters so real and likable in a fantasy world but it also takes place in Forks WA, a place I know well, so it was fun to read about. Hmm and that Edward! What are you reading right now?

arts

What is it about the arts that we hunger for? When I say arts I mean paintings, poetry, dance, music ect. I think they celebrate the great mysteries of life, the mystery of love, beauty, birth, & death. And we all have these mysteries in common. Sometimes we get too caught up on the surface of life and forget about these mysteries. A thoughtful painting or poem can stop me in my tracks and remind my soul of another life or hidden passion. I liked this poem today. NPR has a great daily newsletter to visit for all kinds of literary goodies at http://writersalmanac.publicradio.org/

Winter Song by Aaron Kramer, from Wicked Times

Under a willow
close by a brook
her lap for a pillow
her eyes for a book

she like a drummer
practiced her art
all spring and all summer—
the drum was my heart.

Hear how the willow sighs to the sun:
It is over and done with, over and done!
Hear the cold brook, that can hardly run:
It is over and done with, over and done!

Under what maple
close by what lake
will she lie next April?
Whose heart will she break?


What are some of your fav poems or celebrations of life?

Rex Ray

Ive never really gotten into abstract modern art before, I mean I have liked some pieces but never been smitten by them. Then I found Rex Ray. (Swoon) Even his name gets me excited. His art is clean and organized in a random way and there is something organic about it all. It makes my soul smile. I LOVE IT. Here is a few of his pieces.

Wonderful World of Color

Making meals for a family of 4 can get pretty mundane sometimes, so I came up with a plan to mix things up. I call it Color appreciation week. Here is the skinny, each day of the week you get to only eat one color of food for that day.

WHITE MONDAY:
Rice, potatoes, milk, cauliflower, halibut, sweet potatoes, some cheese and yogurts, tapioca pudding, tofu, marshmallows, white chocolate.

BROWN TUESDAY:
Nuts, peanut butter, mushrooms, pancakes, cereal, brown rice, chocolate, beans, beef, chocolate milk, chocolate pancakes-muffins & cookies

RED WEDNESDAY:
Strawberries, apples, kidney beans, tomato tortillas, pasta sauce and red pasta, salsa, red rice, red peppers and tomatoes. (tomato juice could dye many items)

ORANGE THURSDAY:
Oranges, carrots, salmon, yams, shrimp, mangos, pumpkin-(this could help colorize many things too like pumpkin pancakes or pumpkin muffins)

GREEN FRIDAY:
Green tortillas, green salsa, spinach, broccoli, peas, PESTO, cucumbers, guacamole, lima beans, edamame, celery, pickles, green olives, green pasta (spinach juice could dye some items too if needed)

YELLOW SATURDAY:
Eggs, squash, bananas, vanilla pudding, corn, butter, cheese, lemons, cornbread, cornbread pancakes, peperoncini,

I think we can pull this off. However I am very excited about GREEN day and might just become a greenatarian eating only green foods the rest of my life. Do you think I would turn green? I know someone who ate carrot juice a lot and they started to turn orange. What am I missing and what would be your favorite color day? I will let you know how it goes.


P.S. I know what you are thinking, that I have too much time on my hands right? Well I will have you know that when I worked 40hrs a week I planned spirit week at my office just like in high school and actually got a lot to participate. Ha! I just wanna have some fun. Ok maybe this gray wet weather is getting to me a bit.

Year of the babies

Ok, so six of my friends are pregnant so far this year, six! Did I miss a comet flying by or something? Some where planned, some where not planned and some had been planning & planning & planning. I have two kids and feel like that is my sanity maximum right now but I can’t help feeling a tiny bit envious of them.

First off being pregnant is such a special thing, you get to eat tons of food- no really- You get to be sooo close to a being and share your life and energy with it. You are apart of something so much bigger then yourself and this life. Pregnancy always made me soo emotional, in a good way. I cried at sunrises and sunsets, I cried at Disney movies and cried at tiny little baby socks. It was a very happy time.

Labor, now that is a different animal. I feel like you are helping bring this new life here - you have to go halfway to meet it into the other world. I have done it with drugs and without drugs. They both have some positives actually. Without drugs it is very intense and powerful, you are in your own world (however you want to jump out the window) A little too traumatic for me. With the drugs it was a quiet process I could really be around for and enjoy more (not to mention my husband too.) I do however have great respect for those of you going “natural” and wish you the best. It is such a different process for everyone.

It is so fun to finally see what has been growing inside you. When my babies were born they always laid them on me skin to skin and we kept that up for a long time after. I loved nursing, I loved being that close. One of my most favorites is when the baby has eaten and has that drunken look on their face! Pure contentment! That doesn’t last forever.

What do you love about being pregnant and the newborn?

Alright, I better go wake my husband up now for some lovin. (lol) You never know, I comet might fly by my house some night too. How do you know when your done?

hedgies

One of my latest discoveries is hedgehogs. I sooo want to get a pet hedgehog. Owen actually turned me on to them. He has a lot of little plastic animals and he particular loves the hedgehog. His hedgehog sleeps with him, rides motorcycles, takes a bath and has a snack on occasion.

So I started thinking, well maybe someone has a pet hedgehog and checked the internet. There is a whole world out there of proud hedgehog owners, they call themselves “hedgehog enthusiasts”. I will name him “Herbie” and he will be my pet.

Pretty cute huh? I still want a pygmy goat too though. What animal would you like as a pet?