fertilization

Tuesday was a spectacular fall day. I took the kids to Tumwater Falls for a hike, in hopes of spotting the caboose of salmon journeying up stream. We were able to spot a few stragglers that sadly will most likely not make it to their destination.

Each year we visit this park and others and witness what is in my mind nothing short of a miracle. The journey salmon make to their home water where they were born is incredible. As a side note, if you live in WA check out McLane Creek in November.

This year, Natalie was particularly interested in what the salmon were up to and what would come of them. I explained the life cycle several times emphasizing the circle of life. (Go ahead, break out your Lion King soundtrack.) Natalie asked me, "Do only the female salmon swim up stream to lay the eggs?" I replied, "No, males and females make the journey." She said, "You mean in salmon the male and females lay eggs?" "No, only the females." I said. "Then why do the males swim up stream?" she innocently asked. "Because they are needed to fertilize the eggs. With out them, there would be no hatching of the eggs." I said. "When I was an egg did Daddy have to fertilize me?" She said. "Yes." I cautiously replied. With a puzzled look she asked, "Well, how did Daddy fertilize me?!?!" And there it was. The birds and the bees question posed by my 6 1/2 year old in a way that was her own and all Natalie. "How did daddy fertilize me when I was an egg?"

My response, "Well, God made a special way for that to happen and it is something you and I can talk about when you get a little older." "Ok" she replied. Needless to say, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Buttons

I don't know what it is about buttons, vintage ones especially, but I just love them. I bought a large tin of old buttons a while back on craigslist. Yes, a random item to search for, but I did and found them!

I've used the buttons to dress up cards, added them to clothing and even made button rings. (Pictured) Other times, I just need creative inspiration or a smile so I'll rummage the tin and there I often find a new idea and a grin. Buttons, you are delightful!

BUTTON RING HOW TO

Materials:
Buttons
Embroidery Thread
Needle
Elastic

What to do:
Cut a length of elastic that fits around the button owners finger snug, but not cut off circulation snug.

Sew the end of the elastic together, forming a circular ring.

Choose your buttons. This is the fun part! You can stack multiples or grace the elastic with a single button.

Next. Using embroidery thread, hand sew the button to the elastic.

Put on and enjoy!

Button rings are guaranteed to bring a smile to your melon.

golfing memories

I was on the golf team in high school. I don't usually share this because first it rarely comes up in normal conversation and second, people assume I must be really good, which I am not. I joined the team to learn the sport and be with my BFF Tanya. Golf was a blast. We would hit buckets and buckets and buckets of range balls and then go collect them by hand and do it again. We'd practice chipping for what seemed like forever and then go golf 9 or 18. My first home course tournament began with me driving the ball into an old farm silo to the right of the fairway. The silo was roofless and my lucky shot landed right inside. I crawled in the silo to shoot it out a 3 foot by 2 foot hole. This opening drive provides perfect imagery for my golfing career. As my mom still declares, I have a beautiful swing, but as I like to point out everything else came with great effort.

What I love about golf. I LOVE walking the course. I am not the golfer that rents a cart. I so enjoy golfing in the early morning when the grass is wet and dewed up. I never had a golf glove or golfing shoes. Not because I didn't want them, rather I felt one needed to be to a certain level to wear that kind of attire. I never arrived there. I golfed 2 times this past summer with Ted. We had a blast, but it wasn't pretty. In fact, one hole I was so frustrated I put myself on a time out for the next hole. After that I decided to not count the strokes, whiffs, penalties and so on. I am thankful to my high school gold coach Mr. Gadd. I tell you that man had patients like a Saint! I am thankful to know a game that I can enjoy today and in my future blue hair days as well. One last memory, I once got hit by my own golf ball in a tournament. The ball left indents in my forehead. I had forgotten to yell fore.

My whirligig is on the HUTCH blog!

I am so excited!!! Here is where I took the whirligig workshop. My self proclaimed master piece is pictured on the lower left. It makes me SMILE! 3 cheers for HUTCH!

http://hutchstudio.blogspot.com/2010/10/latest-whirlygig-workshop.html

Pet Peeve

Robin, "Oh, what an adorable daughter you have. How old is she?" Unnamed mother, "Oh thanks, Sally is 38 1/2 months old. I can't believe how big she's getting!"

Please pause while I scream and rip my hair out.

Baldless Robin, "That's a fun age. Have a good day." In my head, "Ahhhhhhhhhhh... You mean just over 3!?! Yes, your baby is getting big and so the need to express her age in months is no more."

Why do parents feel the need to communicate their child's age in months? I really don't understand and it does annoy me. Picture this, "Hey Robin how old are you?" and I respond "I'm 422 months." Doesn't that make you want to vomit?

So, how old is too old in my mind and my world? Well, I think if they are UNDER 1 year, month it out. Savor it up saying 11 months because then you should be done. I know this might seem harsh, but that's my thought.

When my kids were let's say 17 months old, I just rounded it to a year and half when answering people. When they were 2 months from being 3 I just said he'll be 3 in a couple months. What is hilarious to me is so many people don't like this. I often had people convert their ages to months for me. For example, someone would ask me how old Lydia was and I would say a year a half. They would respond with, "Oh, she's tall for 18 months." To which I would reply, "Well aren't you the mathematican now?" Just kiddding, I never said that. I just smiled and nodded. I also yanked out some hair and sighed internally.

10 Years

Ted and I celebrated 1o years of marriage in September. We had a beautiful day together. He arranged for childcare and we spent the afternoon at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, kidless. Following the zoo, we went shopping and to dinner at Stanley and Seaforts in Tacoma. Yum-O! I highly recommend the lobster bisque, it's excellent. Why the zoo? The night Ted proposed he brought me to dinner at Stanley's and then to Zoo lights. He was recreating and the intentionality of his plans touched me deeply.

Ted and I met in college and began dating our sophomore year in. We dated 5 years before tying the knot. As we reflect back on the last 10 years of marriage, we are overwhelmed by the goodness of God. Marriage isn't always easy, and ours has been no exception. BUT, God has been faithful to restore us again and again. We have 3 amazing kids together and they are our delight. We both tear up when we talk about them and adore living life as a family of 5. I am so in love with this man. I am so passionate about growing old with him.

Anniversary day was filled with surprises, probably my favorite being some diamonds at home around my neck. I LOVE diamonds. I do. I'm not always the most girly girl, but do melt like butter from those rocks. Beautiful, just beautiful. I can't wait to see what is unveiled in the next 10 years.

artist within

There's an artist hiding within me and I've always known it. In kindergarten a picture of a bunny was sent to the state fair by my teacher, and it won a ribbon. I remember seeing it behind a glass case at school and being sad that the eyes weren't the same size. Oh, did I mention this artist within has a perfectionist nature that's out? In 4th grade a scratch painting of a bug went to state fair, again sent not by me but by my teacher. I won another ribbon and a few dollars this time. The same scenario went down in 5th grade for a collage fish. I won 2 other art competitions in elementary school. 1 through Red Owl where my Grandpa worked and the second from NW Bell where my mom worked. That one landed my in a safety calendar. Don't leave toys at the bottom of stairs! Someone could fall and get hurt. Wisdom beyond my years, I know.

Well, I'm not sure what happened in Jr. High and High school. I never pursued drawing or painting. I did take lots of pottery, which I still love. I took 1 art class in college for my El. Ed. degree and it was torturous. I was nervous and convinced incapable of producing anything that even remotely resembled art. Where did this hesitancy come from?

Today, I just LOVE the process of creating. It lights me up and gets me excited unlike anything else. I like to explore all sorts of mediums so am really a master of none of them, YET. :)

This past spring/summer, I did some contract writing for a Nature Center out of San Diego, CA. Most of the money went to pay off important things which will only digress if gone into detail, but a portion I reserved for an art class. The class was in La Conner, WA at a wonderful studio called HUTCH studio. There, I took a whirligig class. Pictured is my first whirligig. I loved the process and the outcome. It is quirky and blows beautifully in the wind. It graces my fence post and I can't wait to make more! I will note this was really my first experience with a drill. I was a virgin driller. It wasn't always pretty and I learned how to patch metal. Patching metal also is not pretty.

As I've gotten older, I'm more cautious and self conscious to go for it in art and life sometimes. I think back to cliff jumping in Duluth, MN and shiver wondering how and why I ever did that. Yet, there's a part of me that desperately wants to go for life like that again. The truth is life can be so routine sometimes and that can be well... boring. I desperately desire to return a sense of adventure to this 35 year olds grind. So, I am going to make a plan to do that. Not sure what that means, but I KNOW this will be the winter to try some snowboarding. :) Anyone want to join me?