Stepping Off the Cow Path

I was afforded the pleasure of my Mom's company last week.  What a treat to sneak away from the everyday to wander through different neighborhoods and gardens, stopping at some favorite haunts for a bite or a cuppa.

Nanny getting Lucy Love

Having sent two daughters to CU in Boulder, there were places on the must visit list.  However, it was those stolen moments of "why not?" that yielded the best harvest.

Crazy good Folk Art

I'm so glad we decided to break away from the "tried and true" to discover this little gem of a nursery tucked away in North Boulder, which is aptly named "The Secret Garden." It was full of fun Folk Art surprises.  I remember it being run by a lovely English lady, Sheila, who sadly passed away awhile back.  The new owners have done a wonderful job adding their eclectic style to the place, a must in Boulder.

There is something wonderful about breaking away from the familiar, stepping off the cow path so to speak, that heightens our awareness allowing us to enjoy the present moment for what it is, a gift indeed.

So Many May Babies

May is a dizzying month.  Recitals, finals, graduations, not to mention that every time I turn around there is life to be welcomed or celebrated once again (seems like most of my Facebook Friends and quite a few relatives have birthdays in May - including moi!).  The flowers, the birds, the foals, the calves, the babies are EVERYWHERE.  Our neighbor's family greeted their new son last week, at HOME, and I was pleased as punch to find him these darling little leaf booties over at Tiny Happy

My grandmother celebrated her 100th, yes 100th, can you believe?  She is a testament to sustaining herself with a positive mental attitude - "Mind over Matter Helen" - and enjoying the simple pleasures in life "I just love dandelions, they are so cheery."  Really, of all that blooms in Spring she favors the dandelion.  Simply pleasures indeed.

I'm wishing you all good health and vitality to be out there and enjoy all that Spring has to offer.

Baby Great Horned Owl

Blessings!

Sweet Sixteen

Oy!  That last post was rather doleful, rather down (I wrote it last week but didn't have the heart to hit the publish post button).  Geeze, could I be a bigger Eeyore?  Have no fear!  I've been rescued by a rather shining spot in our lifes.  Let me introduce you to Rachel:

Our dear Rachel turned sweet 16 last week, and although that saying fits her to a "T," right now this is not what impresses me most about her.  THIS week I had the great good fortune to see her compete in a High School swim meet.  My daughter is not the most competitive of sorts, neither is her brother, neither am I.  So getting her involved in competitive, organized sports has not been easy. Why do it?  I've learned the hard way that everybody needs their niche, their "clan" so to speak.

Let me tell you, what I witnessed floored me.  We had just gotten there when the 50 free heat was starting.  Brad pointed out a swimmer and said, "Is that Rachel?"  We both were taken off guard.  I said, "I don't think so, that girl is a machine.  Look at her chugging through that water."  I'm used to seeing Rachel swim beautifully, gracefully.  This girl was moving as if her life depended on it.  I mean, this girl didn't even come up for air the entire second half length of the pool.

That's when it hit me.  That is Rachey, and look at her go!  Look at her move!  Look at that POWER.  Look at that STRENGTH.  That was the gift.  Witnessing her harness her own power, her own strength.  What a beautiful lesson.  I hope she takes this with her throughout her life, that through her own discipline and committment she could excell.  Through her own diligence she will propel herself through life like she did through that water, as if it were air, as if it were nothing.

I couldn't be more proud of my sweet, thoughtful, caring, STRONG and POWERFUL daughter.  I love you dearly Rachel!  If you read this Rachel, did you know that you inspire me??

The Greatest Gift

Bump Feeling Festive

Nan and Her Prayer Shawl

Need I say more?  This year we were blessed by the arrival of my parents for our holiday.  We enjoyed a lot of laughs, shopping, meals in and out, and even family games (Rachel trumped us all!).  I'm grateful for all the wonderful gifts we shared (and I do like presents!), but perhaps the greatest gift of all was the ability to enjoy each moment, and not get sucked away by some old pattern, habit, reaction that would take away from the present moment, for that is the greatest gift.  Time with grandparents is a commodity, and I thank all my sisters for sharing them with us this year. 

We really did embrace this past week of Advent, and here is the blessing for any of you who were wondering:

The fourth light of Advent, it is the light of Man

the light of joy, the light of thought

to grow and understand

I hope you all enjoy the little things this season and the year to come.  You never know.  One day you may discover that those little things are the big things.

Blessings, Melissa

Such a busy week.  So busy doing, not as much time to write.  We celebrated Brad's Birthday with a home-cooked family dinner Tuesday.  In keeping with tradition, I made lasagne.  Not just any lasagne.  This year I was compelled to make it a true labor of love, including picking and skinning graden tomatoes, all but make the noodles myself.  It was so delicious, but I was tired and cranky :(

Not sure if it was all the cooking or perhaps the prepping for and holding our knitting circle that made me so tired.  Of course it can't just be any ordinary knitting class, I must infuse it with mindfulness teachings.  Hence, I found myself a bit wiped out.  Perhaps I'll hit my teaching stride and be able to maintain my energy without falter.  Perhaps not.  Guess I'll flow with it!

The fall colors have been tremendous and I so want to share it with the family, and not just as I shuttle kids to and fro.  We're planning on getting out Sunday for just this purpose.  A lovely breakfast and hike through the surrounding hills.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend full of light, love, and simple pleasures.

by the river
i am reminded of how she does what she does 
so effortlessly
FLOW
you do not have to do anything
but trust
that is it
and when you can not do that anymore
trust that! ~ KC

Knitting As A Spiritual Practice

It feels great to be back, and feeling almost 100% again.  As always, Mommy Chicken is the last one to catch and recover from the family's colds.  The down time did give me a chance to start a Prayer Shawl for someone special, and pick up one of Max's favorite reads The Hunger Games, fantastic!

I've been curious about these "Prayer Shawls" for some time now and always thought they must be worn when praying.  Sure one could use them that way, much like the Tallits in the Jewish tradition.  However these particular shawls are made WHILE repeating prayers, blessings, hopes, wishes, good intentions, mantras (you catch my drift?) much like Mommy Chicken Prayer Flags.  I love that, don't you?  It's a bit of a longish story how I came about targeting this project, but let's just say it's culminated in my offering a Knitting As A Spiritual Practice class.  Check out the link for more details and to register.  I'd love to have you join me!

This weekend we were also lucky to get a visit from "The Uncles" or "The Brothers," Brad's two siblings, Mark and Ted.

Ted, Mark, and Brad (L-R)

They filled their time as much as possible with football games, meals out, bike rides, and visiting on the back porch (priceless). 


At a family favorite, Brasserie Ten Ten

Rachel, Ted, Brad, Mark and Max (L-R)

Saying goodbye is always tough, especially for Brad and I.  As he so poignantly shared, "You don't think about the repercussions of the decisions you make when you're in your 20's, but you sure do feel them down the road," and sometimes it's tough.  He's referring to the fact that all our siblings and parents live in other states.  How nice it would be for all of us to have each other's support more than on occasion.  Alas, I get melancholy. 

I guess I will sum up by returning to gratitude.  How lucky we are to share the time we do.  Perhaps we value it that much more?  Now I will bid you all adieu until next time, and try to be good to yourselves and one another.  Our choices are all we really have!

And They're Off

First day of school.  So much to look forward to, so much to watch out for.  It's a tricky time in our family's life.  Teenagers.  Need I say more?  I love them to pieces, yes, they make me crazy at times, and me them.  But I know one thing, I wouldn't want to live without them.  They are my pride and joy, even when they screw up.  Hey, perfect is for angels!  My parting words, "make me proud"  and "text me."  Welcome to the 21st century.

Rachel First Day of 10th Grade

Max First Day of 7th Grade

And now I'm off.  Before I think too hard on how great it was to have my kids' ears for a bit.  Before I think how much I will miss feeding them from my kitchen (even though it gets tiresome).  Before I think about how fast the time is passing.

Weren't they just learning to tie their shoelaces?

Best of luck to all you students and parents of students this school year.

I hope you all had a great weekend!  We had a chance to escape the heat a bit as we headed into the mountains by Steamboat Lake.  I say a bit because it was plenty sunny and hot where we were.  Steamboat received record snowfall this year as evidenced by the incredible wild flower display.  The hills were awash with so much color.  I couldn't stop "oohing and aahing." 



Steamboat Lake, Colorado



Arnica and Blue Bonnet

Unfortunately, our hidden gem of a campsite was quite altered due to Pine Beetle Kill.  So instead of hanging out in the forest, we made the most of nearby Steamboat lake with some water fun.




No camping trip would be complete without a mountain bike ride.  It had been three years since we rode this particular trail, and Brad and I were surprised at how technical it was. 

Nor could we believe we rode this trail when Rachel and Max were 12 and 10.

All in all, we had fun, even with the bugs and sun.  Roughing it was worth the time away from the household distractions, and the campfire chats were priceless.  I'm just not sure Pepper would agree.  Any time the car door was opened he would pop in for some relief.

One of the biggest gems on this trip were our friends, Cecil and Bobbie, the campground hosts.  We met them years ago when we pulled in without a reservation.  Cecil was so friendly and accomodating.  He has shared many things with us over the years, and this year was no different.

Cecil teaches Max some Chess moves

I think I'll be in for it the next time Max and I play chess.

Now there is the unloading and washing up to do after every excursion, but I have visiting family to look forward to!  We'll hopefully be getting up to Rocky Mountain National Park for some touring, so more photos to follow.

I hope you're all looking forward to a great week.

Crocheting By The Pool

I hope you all enjoyed a great weekend.  I know we did!  We got to enjoy the kids' swim meet with beautiful (albeit HOT) weather and smiling faces.

 

Max and Rachel - Go Cuddas!


I love watching them move from the nervousness before their heats, to great relief and surprise at how well they swam.  And, there is plenty of time between heats to get up to some crafty business.  This day presented the perfect opportunity to launch a project I've had in mind for some time: Crocheted Rag Rug.  I've been holding onto our sheets from when Brad and I first got married because I loved them so much and I couldn't bear to part with them.  Luckily, with this project I don't have to!

Instead, I'll rip them into 1 1/2" strips, wind them into balls, and with my size P crochet hook get going!

Other poolside goodies in my basket: sunblock and lipgloss, of course!

There are lots of alternatives out there on the Web, but I wanted an Oval shaped rug.  So I started by Ch 10.  Then I SC into the front of each loop going down one side.  When I got to the end I crocheted 3 SC.  SC back up the other side, and 3 SC at the opposite end.  Then you simply continue in this manner until you notice the rug starting to curl in.  Whenever you notice this all you have to do is throw in some extra SC at the ends.  Just make sure whatever you do at one end you repeat at the other.  Soon you may end up with something like this:

Pepper modeling the Crocheted Rag Rug

A fellow swim parent asked a very good question, "How many sheets will you need?"  And to that I had to reply, "I'm not sure, I guess I'll just crochet along until I'm satisfied."  I'm thinking it will only take the 2 or 3 sheets that I have on hand (funny that), but who knows?  Perhaps I'll be so inspired I'll be scrounging around for some more!

When all is said and done, there is the question of what to do with the tails sticking out the back.  I'm inclined to weave them in a bit and call it good.  Another poolside suggestion was to Scotchguard the rug upon completion.

One thing I do know, I love taking something whose purpose no longer fits and changing things up enough to give it new life.

What about you?

Parting Shots

Hi All!  We're in the throws of packing for a much anticipated trip to the East coast to visit my 99 year old Granny, woot!, family cabin, and do a little sight seeing around our Nation's capital.  These people and places have been a part of me for a  l-o-n-g  time and I'm super excited to share it with my family.  Brad has planned some new and exciting things to see and do along the way, yes, we are going to the see the Nationals play ball in their new ballpark, woot woot!

So I will wish you all a very beautiful and safe week during my absense from blogland.  I plan on taking lots of photos of the area and can't wait to share upon our safe arrival back home.  In the meantime, thought I would share a few photos of the babe who is sprouting some fine wing feathers.  I do wonder what she will look like?

The Only Way to Grab a Few Photos, Bribe Them With Food!

Could Be We Have Another 'Barred Rock' On the Way?

Enjoy!

Finding Our Rhythm

Is There Anything Prettier Than Pink Peonies?

Seems like every summer we go move through an adjustment to school being out and a new routine being established.  This time can feel awkward and more than a little uncomfy.  As the kids grow they need to assert themselves more and more as far as how they want to spend their vacation.  And yet, someone needs to be there to guide them, and at the very least DRIVE them.

After a bit of a bumpy start things are starting to settle.  As Max learned at Scout Camp, and obligingly shared with us, one of the most important components for survival in the wilderness is good moral.  And one essential element for good moral is establishing a rhythm.  Fantastic.  This hearkens back to Rachel and Max's preschool teacher's mantra "Rhythm, Routine, and Consistency."

So, after too much back and forth this week, my hero came to my rescue.  Thank you Brad for getting the kids to their early morning swim practice so I could enjoy a quiet house.  I revelled in the time to straighten, dust, vacuum, and fuss about the house without disrupting anyone.  Glorious.

To cap it off, I was able to bike to work.  What a treat!

My Commute

To think I may have missed this view if I hadn't slowed down long enough to leave the car at home.

Here's hoping you all are finding your own rhythm within your summers.

Gotta Get Your Head In The Game

Who doesn't love American's favorite pastime, Baseball?  Well, I haven't been so sure, even after living with arguably one of the game's biggest fans for the past 20 years.  What can I say, my brain just isn't wired to follow the plays, or so I thought.  Turns out this season was going to be different.  My son has played Little League for years, but this was the first time with his dad coaching the team.  So it would seem there was no better time to get my head in the game.

Luckily, we discovered a lovely little thing called a scorecard.  Turns out I have quite a penchant for keeping score.  It's a lot like Sudoku, or a cross word puzzle.  I love it!  Finally a way to help me focus on the plays.

Now if they only made one for managing teens.  This past weekend we had the misfortune of finding out what happens when you "take your eye off the ball."  Let me tell you folks, the risks are too great and the consequences scarey.  Raising teens is a slippery slope, kinda' like nailing jello to a tree, but nothing could be more important than establishing those ground rules.  It's tough.  Sometimes it feels a little like "Who's on first?"

"Where are you going?"  "Who's going to be there?"  "How are you getting there?" But we love our kids, and the game, and nothing could be more important.

And if you're going to get your head in the game, why not do it sporting a little "Granny Chic?" 

Click here for this Crochet Headband Tutorial.  I hope you all enjoy, and "Play Ball!"

Bolder Boulder

I hope everyone enjoyed a restful, relaxing, and rejuvenating Memorial Day weekend.  I know we did.  It's not hard to do when your town celebrates with one of the funnest road races ANYWHERE!  This was our 20th running of the Bolder Boulder, definetely a favorite tradition.  Not only is it the best that Boulder has to offer, but it is the reason why Brad and I ended up together.  Thank you for another great year!

The day started earlier for the boys (they were the runners in our group), and the ladies followed up in the walking wave. 

"AB," Rachel & Melissa

 The Bolder Boulder is 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) of a feast for the senses.

Sights and sounds of all varieties.

Participants come out dressed to the nines.

 We even have cheerleaders,

 of all varieties.

 If you feel the urge, there are Slip N' Slides and sprinklers along the course to cool you off.

 Along with the Gatorade and water provided on the race course, residents and restaurants make plenty of snacks available.

There are gardens to admire,

and Bands to enjoy.

 All to keep you going because this race is not for sissies.

 But, this race is for EVERYONE. 

Looks like they have the right altitude, er, attitude.

This town is all about the power of positive thinking!

Thank you Bolder Boulder, we'll see you next year!

Brad, Max, Rachel & Melissa