Scrappy Hearts

It’s Only Wednesday...

I keep saying that to myself. It has been a great week, by week's standards. 

Monday morning I was greeted by this little treasure in my mailbox. A gift from my principal for my new second grade classroom. What a treat! Gotta love Fancy Nancy. Gotta love my principal! 

After work I was able to meet up with a couple of friends for a bit of sewing and a wonderful dinner out.

Tuesday morning, as I arrived at school there was a police car blocking the side street because of a problem with an electrical transformer. My principal was standing out by the crossing guard answering questions and helping to direct the students. As I pulled into the driveway he yelled to me, "You're teacher of the month, use the special parking space." Well, I must admit that I was shocked. (More on that in a later post.) But, I do as I am told and for the next month I get this very special spot in the parking lot, a real treat!

A dentist appointment after school on Tuesday took care of a nagging toothache that I have had since arriving in Washington at the end of June. So glad that's over with!

Today, a great work day. A meeting with colleagues to organize and plan, indoor recess with a movie and time alone in the building after school to prepare for Monday of next week. That's right, today was my last school day for the week. After work, 6:50, to be exact, I headed into Philly to see number one son. First, a quick stop at IKEA to purchase some organizational products and then dinner at the Devil's Den. Our waitress, Lauren, always takes such good care of us. An arugula and roasted beet salad with a passion fruit vinaigrette dressing with a side of great conversation. And, of course, our self-portrait.  As I write, Jason is preparing for a business trip to Denver. He is excited about the trip and is really enjoying his job. 

I must repeat, it's only Wednesday and this has been a fantastic week. I know the rest of the week will be just as terrific! As I prepare to go to bed, I am feeling particularly blessed.

Not Quite - October Daisies

My yard suffered a great deal while I was gone over the summer. The roses weren't trimmed, the thyme did not get used and the daisies,well let's just say, they've seen better days.

I trimmed back the dead sections of the daisies but did not dare do that with my October Daisies. I was so afraid that they would not survive. So, leggy and untrimmed, I waited. My wait is almost over. They will bloom this year and right on schedule too - a few days before October!This is just one of the many blossoms waiting to burst on the leggy, leafless stems. I can't wait!

Project Life, Week 33

 Whew, finally catching up. And, its a good thing.

Week 33 was supposed to be the last full week I spent in Washington. Fortunately, it wasn't. We were able to take a grand adventure instead of me having to prepare for my trip home. Saturday we traveled to Oregon to visit east coast friends that were visiting the west coast. We caught up with them at the North Bend Garlic Festival. A fun day filled with lots of - garlic. It had the feel of a small town summer carnival and we enjoyed communing with the locals and perusing the wares.

From there we traveled up to Vancouver, Washington for the evening. An interesting little town that virtually shuts down on Sunday. We had not expected that. As it turns out, many of the little towns along the Columbia River are very quiet on Sundays. Not much to do but mosey our way west along the river. Interesting views and beautiful small towns.

Our destination, Cape Disappointment. The bottom photo on the right is the sunset we captured just after setting up camp. The ocean was just a short walk away, over a bluff. The trail was conveniently marked with fern fronds making it very easy to find our way. It began to rain just as we were finishing dinner, about 10:30 in the evening. It worked out perfectly. I fell fast asleep and woke up around 1 to find my husband missing. He was out exploring. The sky was clear the stars were out and the moon was full. A perfect evening for a walk!

We explored so much in these two days that I felt compelled to include a 6 x 12 insert so that I could include more photos. The photo on the top is the last covered bridge in the state of Washington. Isn't that cool? The second photo, Dead Man's Cove. We caught a glimpse of that as we hiked the trail to the lighthouse on the south side of the cape.

The top photo on the insert is another view from the trail and the second photo is of the southern lighthouse from the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. The very last photo is of the jetty built to protect the headland, also taken from the interpretive center.

Monday was a slow drive north along the coast with our arrival in Redmond coinciding with the end of the work day. Mark decided not to go in and we spent the evening unpacking and relaxing. Happy Hour at the Matador was the perfect spot for dinner.Tuesday found us up early. Mark off to work and me, a drive to visit my friend Annette. The day was clear and Mount Si was out. We ate lunch on the deck accompanied by some homemade mead. Perfect. A short hike and lots of sewing before heading back to pick Mark up at work. After dinner we walked over to the movie theater for the last Harry Potter. Another really great day. That photo in the upper right hand corner was taken inside the theater. I think it says Harry Potter which is the only reason I would have taken it!

Wednesday was clean up day - spreading the tent and wet stuff out from camping and hoping that it would dry. Thursday, another evening out. This time happy hour at CoHo with Robin and his friend Laurie. A quick walk to the theater for Planet of the Apes. Robin and Laurie went to Cowboys and Aliens. We met up afterwards to compare movies and then made our way home.

Friday, another night out. We had tickets for Tartuffe at the Second Story Repertory Theater. We drove to Redmond Center, had dinner at Thai Ginger and then the show. Another great evening. Redmond really has so much to offer and most of it is in walking distance of where we lived. In looking back I realize that we spent a great deal of time "out" in the evenings. That was really not the norm and I find it interesting to notice how the time we spent together changed over the course of the two months.

I hope you noticed the last photo for the week. It is an umbrella stand. I have seen similar scenes all over encouraging people to "borrow" umbrellas when the weather is not cooperative. I wonder how many of those "borrowed" umbrellas end up missing? Well, it's not my concern, although I do find it amusing! Only in the northwest would you find something like that.

My Project Life binder is nearly full and there are still three months to go. I am wondering if I should break down and order myself another binder so that I don't feel compelled to short change the recording I do. I will have to ponder that. I am still managing to keep up with the project and I am still managing to take photos nearly every day. As life goes on, so does the project and that is a good thing!

Notes from a Marriage - Five Months In

Wow! I can't believe our wedding was five months ago. Our five month anniversary finds us on separate coasts, yet again. But, now, we are both in the final stages of preparing for co-habitation. Yes, by our sixth month anniversary, we will be living together.

This week we are both knee-deep in packing, organizing, purging and just trying to get ourselves together. Next weekend I will be painting the room that Mark will use as his office and hopefully, by then, there will be room in the garage for his stuff. If all goes according to plan, Mark will arrive on October 7th. Hopefully the office will be painted, the garage will have room and the rest of the house will be organized. 

Well, here's hoping...

Star Gazing

I spent a wonderful evening out with my son just the other day. We always have such a wonderful time together and on this night, particularly so. I had the opportunity to share in the success of an event that he planned and orchestrated.

After dropping off our new friend at his hotel, Jason and I drove the short distance to his home. Although we were engaged in conversation it was not enough to distract us from the beauty of the evening. And, when we least expected it, a gorgeous shooting star lit across the night sky. We looked at each other, wondering if we really did witness such an extraordinary event. We uttered a collective sigh, wow. And,"wasn't that gorgeous?"

Amazing, we are truly blessed.

Beer, Not So Much

Well, that was until last night.

A great beer event at Salt and Pepper organized by my son Jason. Great food paired with really great Belgium beers. I took a ton of photos, with someone else's camera. Go figure. You will have to wait for more specific details. But, until then, a self portrait of John, Jason and myself. A great night out!

Catching Up

A blessing. The opportunity to spend the evening quilting with a friend. No photos, just the warm glow of having a friend that has the ability to "make" me, me again. So very grateful!

She is a friend of mind.  She gather me, man.  The pieces I am, she gather them and give them back to me in all the right order.  It's good, you know, when you got a woman who is a friend of your mind.  ~Toni Morrison, Beloved

Closet Discoveries

Look at what I discovered this weekend while I was supposed to be cleaning and purging...

It is the 2005 Little Shop Mystery Quilt. Isn't it pretty? I can't imagine why it has been hidden all of these years, it absolutely needs to be finished.

Then I realized. The last time I worked on this quilt was at the retreat. As I was packing to leave the camp, I placed all of the pieces and directions in a plastic storage box. When I arrived home, I placed it in my closet and promptly forgot about it. Oh, I may have thought about it since then, but upon opening the box, I probably felt too overwhelmed to even try and figure out how to finish the darn thing!

That almost happened today. Almost. But, I persevered and did my best to organize the pieces of fabrics and clues into understandable piles. Afterall, I only have three more clues to complete. So, this is where we're at, right at the moment...Clues nine and ten are safely organized in their little zip lock baggies. The cutting directions, yardage requirements and sewing directions are all neatly organized in the purple pocket folder.Clue 8 was a mess. I inadvertantly sewed fabrics from the wrong clues together. That's what happens when I continue to sew even when I should be in bed. So today, I spent some time un-sewing and reorganizing clue 8 so that I can move forward. Really, only three clues to go and the quilt is finished, why not just do it?

In addition to organizing the mystery quilt, I did manage to sew today. Two rows were pieced together for my Sea Glass log cabin quilt and I did do a bit of work on a couple of table runners that have been in a basket almost as long as the mystery quilt. Here's to Sunday - a chance to sew and relax! 

Now, about those lesson plans...

Project Life, Week 32

 Well, the beginning of Week 31 found me at the airport as did the beginning of Week 32. This time it was to pick up my hubby from his adventure to China.     The airport run was on Sunday, Saturday was spent in and around Redmond. I walked over to the farmer's market and enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the offerings. It was a beautiful day and the market itself was full of fresh offerings. I felt it necessary to stop at Jamba Juice on my way home.

Those suitcases, in the bottom right corner, are actually a sculpture over the luggage carousel and they spin when the carousel is in motion. Pretty cool looking. Since Mark had to venture through customs I did not get to see the luggage spin on this visit.Re-entry was hard this time. Generally we move very smoothly into being together, but not this time. Monday Mark had off and the day was difficult. I am insecure. It is that insecurity that leads me to read into comments and generally take offense when none should be taken. It is something I work on but sometimes, well, let's just say it happens anyway. That was a part of our Monday. Certainly not good use of the day.Fortunately the day moved forward and we were able to get back to being together. Monday offered us a glorious evening and we took advantage of the weather to walk along the Sammamish River Trail. So much to photograph and enjoy on this beautiful summer evening.

Tuesday our friend Kelly posted a picture of an event that both Mark and I attented before we knew each other. How cool to see us both very clearly and to know that, on that Monday, we didn't even notice each other.

Thursday found us at Teatro Zinzanni. A fun evening! I included pieces of confetti and a black feather that we found while leaving the theater. Then, the same night, a full moon above the space needle. It was so cool.Our lives unfold in strange and wonderful ways. Some days and weeks are better than others, but together those events tell the stories of our lives. I have always known how blessed I truly am, Project Life helps me to share those blessings and the details of our lives. It has been a blessing in and of itself. I encourage anyone interested to take the plunge and try to play along next year.

Project Life, Week 31

Wow, it seems like forever ago that I was in Washington with Mark. But, in reality it was just 3 weeks. Week 31 was the week that Mark flew to China for his second business trip this summer. I was not a happy person when I found out but, as you will see, it was a great week!

Since my weeks start on Saturday I was able to document our hiking trip to Wallace Falls. I was a great day! Lots of beautiful scenary. Lots of exercise. Lots of fun.Then, as of Sunday evening, I was on my own.

I took a photo of the airline sign at the airport. Mark was flying Eva Air. I had never heard of that airline and I was a little suspicious of their ability to delivery my sweetie safely to China and back. Really.

My time alone was fun. I explored Redmond. Took a quilting class. Made a new friend that took me under her wing. I took care of some oversized laundry we had and I had way too much fun at the quilt shops.

I took a drive at the end of the week to visit my friend Annette at her home in the shadow of Mt. Si. One of Mark's colleagues invited me to see a movie. I was very busy, met some great people, got to know my summer home just a bit better and had so much fun.

My Project Life album is just about up to date. Not having the ability to print photos delayed things just a bit, but I developed a system for keeping track of the photos I wanted, placed them in a file on my computer and then uploaded them all at once to Scrapbook Photos.

Now that I am home, it is a bit easier to maintain the album, but time is the issue. Still trying to get myself on some sort of routine. Hoping to do a better job of that this week.

So excited that the new Project Life kits will be introduced in October - can't wait to see what's new! I love this project and plan on doing it again this upcoming year. I am also considering one other year long project - I will keep you posted on that!