Well, Hello Again.

 

Are you still there, universe? 

 

Here’s the thing. I know what it is like to follow blogs and then have them disappear and then reappear. I never like them the same the second go-round. But I miss blogging. And I have a good reason to come back.  Since I last wrote I moved to Atlanta, Georgia. I moved from Saint Paul, MN to ATL, GA. That’s steep. No snow here, just red clay and this year, lots of rain. I have no idea what is next, but I’d like to tell about it a little. 

Everyone Loves A Quitter.

Hey Folks,

I need a break from the blog. Overall I’ve just been staying offline as I try to get a handle on Real Life. We are all healthy and just fine! I just need to shift my focus, and I don’t have the time for it – at least not the kind of time I would need to commit to it the way I’d like to. I also am just feeling more private, tired of internet drama and information overload. Ready to plug into Real Life Day To Day. My library book stack is more impressive than ever, and I’m actually getting Big Projects done around the house. Imagine that.

I hope to be back someday soon, but I am not sure when that will happen. I thank you all for reading! This blog has meant a lot to me, and I am so thankful to have found new friends because of it. Thanks.

Love,
Karen

“Here Goes Something”

I seem to be falling into a pattern where I don’t post, and then a video brings me back. I’ve been struggling a little lately. Mentally pretty good. Physically pretty good. Just a lot on my mind, plate and heart. Nothing life-and-death serious, just feeling impatient, turning unknowns over and over in my hands like tarot cards, waiting.

My friend JoEllen posted this video on Facebook this morning. It is a girl talking herself into her first ski jump. The fear is palpable, the courage breathtaking, the reward so sweet. A minute and 28 seconds never felt so long as a bystander.

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”  – Anais Nin

When we are in nervous situations, there seem to be two types of people. 1) The ones who would rather wait until they were really, really, really ready. 2) The ones who would rather jump first and feel the fear later. I am in the second category, hands down. My impulsivity can get the better of me in many cases, but I feel that it comes in handy other times. Right now, I feel like I am being tested to stand on the top of the ski jump for a while, waiting for that grace, feeling that fear a while.  One giant plus about that waiting is that it gives you time to think, to reach out to others. Dan is much more the first type of person, so I have learned how to be still like him a while, and I think that he has learned over the last 14 years how to let his skis teeter a bit like me. We make a good team.

I am rambling a little, and the kids are waking up. Today think about the times you wait and the times you jump, and what you learn from feeling fear. I know I will be.

To quote this young skier: “Just the suspense at the top the first time freaks me out. That’s the only thing! It’s so fun!” 

Yes.

CTC #4: Zero In

I want to see this! I love movies about families. Throw in that the movie is entitled“The Other F Word” and the focus is on punk/rock/skater dads and heck yes, I’ll see it.

Speaking of families, we have been doing a lot of thinking about our own lately. Our future, our goals, our missions. There is much said about living an intentional life, a simpler life, a well-examined life. I really like this post about living a good story in the chaos of everyday life. It can be a tall order though, to be thinking intently about choices and options, all the while as I hear the box full of lincoln logs crash down to the floor behind me as I type this. (No kidding, it is totally happening, complete with a loud “Whoooops! Uh-oh.” I’m totally not turning around.)

Part of the Cut The Crap mission I began in January involved  zeroing in on the important things. I want to zero in hard, and let the rest fall away. Make decisions that support our family, forgive us our trespasses, keep on keeping on. I’m still working on that, little by little. If something isn’t working, change it. That’s what I feel like I have more strength for these days. My family circle is a perfect one, especially in the imperfections. Merrily we roll along, mostly. Zero is a hero. Let the circle be unbroken and all that.

Or just tattoo your face. Apparently that works too.

Starting

As we edge into March, I have seeds and spring planting on the brain. We haven’t started seeds indoors for about two years, but I think I might do it this year. I want to get better at it. We often have them get too  leggy, and I think we could use another light, but first steps first. We have plenty of older seeds to use up, so why not?

In thinking about all this, I’ve been thinking of alternative seed starter ideas.

First, soil blocking from Laura of Spud Lust. (Bonus: if you click on that link you will also see newborn baby bunnies!—er, newborn kits). I don’t think I’ll get to them this year, but how cool!

Second, newpaper seed pots from Hip Chick Digs. Peep this video.

I figured out how to do the newspaper roll, but I think I need soil to get it completely right. It tended to unroll without it. But I think I will do it! By the way, when I showed this video to Coop Daddy and my sister in law, they both thought that was ME talking. So, I guess that’s what I sound like, if you haven’t heard my voice in real life

But it’s not me, it’s Renee Wilkinson of Hip Chick Digs. By the way, she wrote a fantastic book on homesteading in smaller spaces, including urban yards. It is called Modern Homestead: Grow, Raise, Create. I checked it out from the library but I think it is purchase worthy. And wow, people, her movable coop/run/worm bin design is crazy cool – I wish I could find a photo link to it online. You will have to check the book out to see it.

In all actuality, it is highly likely we end up just throwing seeds in the ground and buying tomato starts. I have a hard time trying to figure out timing for these things, and it doesn’t help that I live in the north. Still, I want to figure it out this weekend. Dan was gone again this week and Greta had a fever, but nothing is on the agenda for the weekend but family time, seeds, and garden plans.

Finn playing quietly, Greta still sleeping, coffee at my elbow. Beef roast in the crockpot, library books in the book bag, most of the laundry folded. It’s gonna be a good weekend.

Four

Yesterday Greta was wandering around looking like an old lady on her way to Miami. I kept trying to take her picture but they kept turning out blurry. I made a short video of her instead. During the video there is a moment of sibling bickering, but I stayed out of it. Greta’s attitude, especially at the end, is hilarious.

Dan was out of town a lot this past week, so we enjoyed the weekend together. Spent time at Rock The Cradle yesterday, which was very cool and the kids had a ball. We all took some downtime/rest time afterward, then watched the Oscars. Last night I had a dream that I was keeping three cows in the basement.

Today is a big day in our house. Today my baby son turns FOUR. Right now he is playing next to me, watching Charlie Brown. I remember when he was as big as my forearm. I wrote a lot about this feeling last year, so I will refer you back to that if you haven’t read it.

Meanwhile, here is my newly four year old, showing off his paper bag puppet with a “camera-ready” intensely forced smile.

Happy Birthday, little bub.

Very Necessary

Sometimes, on the way out the door, the kids like to suddenly grab stuff.

Sometimes special “loveys”, but mostly things like a random toy, a shirt, or a fistful of broken crayons. They cram it into pockets  or “pack a bag” full of crap.

Thankfully, we have been able to instill the rule that “You can bring it into the car, but it can’t come out of the car.” And–(brace yourselves!)– it has stuck. So far.

The downside of such a scenario is that the car ends up looking pretty Hoarder-ish by the end of the week (or, who am I kidding, WEEKS) between cleanings. The upside is that tendency to grab and stuff crap into bags sometimes leads to this:

Oh yes, people. That is a handmade bunny tote bag containing

1) Sparkly red headband

&

1) copy of The Communist Manifesto.

Yes, Greta, that is totally necessary gear for an afternoon at the YMCA. Totally.

I am sorry I have been away. Some cool stuff has happened. Namely:

* Greta turned TWO on Valentine’s Day! And Finny turns FOUR on Monday!

* We got a computer! Thanks tax return! And thanks Dan for paying attention to things like taxes!

* Thanks to the new computer and its ease of use, look forward to more posts from me on  a regular basis. I’ve missed this space. Already put a few in the can so I’ll be back very soon!