Sunday, March 28, 2010

they're creepy and they're spooky...

... and i loved every minute. from the familiar bars of the tv theme, to the final daa-da-da-daa, The Addams Family musical on broadway reminded me of the musicals i grew to love in high school - the pajama game, bye bye birdie and guys and dolls. yeah, they're corny and hokey but everyone always looks as if they're having a rollicking good time, even when they're acting as if they aren't. (unlike more recent musicals, where sometimes the actors appear to be in real pain.)

bebe neuwirth was the embodiment of morticia, nathan lane seemed to be channeling raul julia's interpretation of gomez rather than his own, and kevin chamberlain's fester was delightfully demented. even cousin it made a brief appearance. what i liked most about it was that it wasn't just singing - there was dialogue too... dialogue that tickled enough to make me laugh out loud a few times. the scenery and the staging was fun - just enough to suggest the mansion, not enough to get in the way, and very reminiscent of the scenery in the original Charles Addams' cartoons.

we stayed, appropriately, at the Night Hotel, which was just a couple blocks from teh theatre. the decor was a bit too stark for my taste (i don't find Goth particularly sexy) but it WAS right across the street from no less than THREE irish pubs, which is what i'd told Beloved i wanted for food. we settled on connelly's and liked it so much we went back after the show.

considering its the launching of my Birthday Week, i think we're off to a Great Start.

and futhermore, the war will end. blessed be.

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Thursday, March 25, 2010

blue is my world

i didn't know i liked the color blue so much.

my writing room is robin's egg blue.

the kitchen floor is slate blue.

the house is marine blue.

libby's room is periwinkle blue (by her choice.)

meg's room and bathroom are sky blue.

now the laundry room is REALLY blue.

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

signs:...sacred, profane, and otherwise in between...

the intuitive arts workshop that my friend jennifer and i are facilitating at the Yoga Center of Collinsville has been asking a lot of questions about Signs... how to recognize them, how to interpret them, and how to know them when one shows up.

some years ago, when i was learning how this all Worked, i put out a very specific request to Whoever Might Be Out There that if this stuff about signs is all real, i Requested that Beloved surprise me with roses within the next 24 hours.

at the time i felt i was cutting the Universe a huge piece of slack. Beloved is in the habit of bringing me flowers and roses are one of his favorites. i was hugely disappointed however, when he showed up that evening completely petal-less.

he went to the store the next morning... again, i was hoping, and expecting... all to no avail. i was really disappointed when the 24 hours was nearly up. i remember moping in the kitchen cooking dinner feeling very sorry for myself, wondering if it were all a bunch of crock when all of a sudden Beloved bolted up off the couch, catapaulted down the steps, and disappeared outside.

i heard a car door slam and went to the top of the steps wondering what had happened, when he burst through the screen door, clutching three baby rose bushes to his chest.

"i can't believe i almost forgot, annie," he said, as he started up. "i found them this morning at the foodstore and i completely forgot about them to until this very minute!"

i went back to cooking dinner feeling quite sheepish, knowing that the Angels laughed.

progress, slow and steady

the past few days - the weekend, especially - were far too pretty to sit inside and write. the sun felt wonderful - almost as good as it felt in hawaii in january. i still remember how the tropical sun felt when i stepped off the plane, how every cell in my body seemed to turn of its own volition toward the light.

today's a baby jake day, and its nowhere near as nice. i'm hoping to get a little bit of work done around the house before he gets here.

the laundry room is just about finished, but for the painting - i picked the color with meg's help yesterday. it's a faded blue-jeans blue that i think will both complement and delineate the bathroom space. when it's in a state to be photographed i'll post some pictures.

i also have my three big bookcases stained. they're going in my writing room - i've decided to try and consolidate the books as much as possible into three main areas: my writing room, don's music room and the new exercise room we're creating out of what used to be a kid-bedroom.

i weeded out a lot of books and i'm hoping to continue that process, maybe even with baby jake's help. yesterday, i sorted out at least a shelf and a half of books that are ready to find someone else to love them.

joe the builder will be here today to tile the floor in meg's closet and the entrance to her room. my goal is to get that side of the downstairs painted, cleaned and all put away by next week, so joe can start on the exercise space.

my seedlings are up, tiny little sprouts of green and i got a start on my spring gardening: i began with the bed in the center of the driveway since the whole back is going to be torn up quite soon.

i've been working on Stud Farm - im over 20,000 words and the first four chapters are in good enough shape to send off to my agent with a synopsis. my goal is to send off that proposal by my birthday next week.

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

waiting on the libster

libby went to new york to see phantom of the opera with her french class today. it's a play that's particularly poignant to me, because it was my dear friend's favorite. she loved the music, and the story, and we saw it together in new york ourselves.

libby was supposed to be home hours ago, but the bus broke down, and a new one had to be sent for. at the last report (9 PM) the new bus hadn't yet arrived. it's nearly ten, and im almost afraid to call...

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

this little blogger went AWOL

it feels like its been weeks since i last sat down to blog. it's not that i haven't been writing - quite the opposite in fact. i've been writing a lot, which has felt really nice. i have an idea i've been kicking around for years and years and it's finally coming together. when i have fifty good pages - which i nearly do - im going to send it my agent with a synopsis to see what she thinks. my goal is to do this by my birthday.

i've been going faithfully to the gym nearly every day - with the only time i've taken off due to soreness and bad tummy troubles. in the last three weeks since i started this regimen, i've seen a .7% drop in my overall amount of body-fat - not a huge loss, but certainly one i can feel, and one that hasn't left me feeling ravenous and deprived.

i got my seeds started - this year im branching out into some of the flowers i feel like i can never get enough of - forget-me-nots, carnations, and purple coneflowers. im not giving up on lavendar or tarragon, but i've thrown in the towel on dill. (witches can't grow dill...or at least so say certain old wives' tales. i've never had any luck with it, and not for lack of trying... i love dill.)

the renovatons continue on the laundry room, and we're about to move into phase two of the work we began when meg left for ireland last fall. i've also started to stain some bookcases for my writing room - i'm moving around some furniture as the rooms downstairs get done.

today's a baby jake day, and im trying to decide if i want to go to the gym before i pick him up... or while he's napping.

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.

Thursday, March 11, 2010

what rose made...

...out of some of my old jewelry is JUST beautiful!!! go check out her blog... What Rose Made Today... and see for yourself!!

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

birthday brunch

i can't say it was my best effort ever, but considering how sick i felt a mere 36 hours ago, i don't think it was bad. today i made my son a birthday brunch, because it worked out that he and his girlfriend happened to be spending the night at my oldest daughter's house after the Policemen's Ball in farmington last night.

this was the menu:

orange juice
honey buns & crescent rolls
bacon & canadian bacon
onion, potato and egg frittata
ice cream cake

everyone enjoyed the frittata. it's easy to make and it works well as a light supper dish, too. here's the recipe:

1/2 medium onion, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, minced
3/4 bag shredded hash browns OR 4 potatos, peeled and shredded for hash browns
8 eggs

in a cast iron skillet, preferably, saute the onion in 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until all are transparent and some are turning brown. add the additional oil, then the potatoes, basil, and rosemary. saute the potatos until golden brown. whip the eggs until foamy, then pour into the pan. broil under low heat for approximately 7- 10 minutes until eggs are cooked through and a fork inserted in teh center comes out clean.

you can make many variations of this, of course, with the addition of cheeses, other vegetables such as mushrooms, peppers, spinach or broccoli, and/or herbs such as tarragon, thyme, chives or oregano.

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.

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Saturday, March 6, 2010

down for the count

a few days ago, Beloved was suddenly stricken by a Terrible Tummy Bug... at least, i knew it for a Terrible Tummy Bug. Beloved wanted to believe it was food poisoning (is it more manly to have food poisoning?) but, as i said to my son-in-law, you don't amass almost 100 years as a mother without knowing a Terrible Tummy Bug when you see one.

Beloved recuperated relatively quickly and has been dazzled by his literally overnight drop in weight, to the extent he's now exploring raw foods and a vegan lifestyle.

last night, the Terrible Tummy Bug struck me.

i spent a good portion of yesterday evening imagining how much weight i was losing.

i spent all of today either curled up in bed, or on the couch, nibbling saltines and sipping flat coke and peppermint tea. i feel a lot better - and a lot lighter - now.

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

the hunt continues

spurred on by my hunt for Fifty Different Things - my latest decluttering challenge for myself - i tackled my jewelry box after the gym. Beloved gave me the box and almost everything in it, and over the last year, it's gotten sadly disorganized.

this is what i threw away/gave away:

6 necklaces
3 ankle bracelets
5 brooches
15 pairs of earrings
2 bracelets
1 watch

at this rate, i might reach fifty by the end of the week!

happy 25th birthday, jamie-jim

on the day my son came screaming and kicking into the world - perhaps as a result of getting his head stuck half way out - i was just a few months older than he is now. or maybe he knew my life wasn't about to get any easier.

i see a lot of myself in jamie. among traits we share is a tendency not to understand "no" as a reason to stop. jamie's toddlerhood was enlivened by periodic bursts of locking himself into rooms, climbing on top of the refrigerator via the countertops, then canisters; and literally swinging from the chandelier when i happened to leave the dining room table fully extended one day.

he also refused to believe it when i ran out of answers. i don't know the answer to that question, i'd plead, sometimes in desperation. and "oh, yes, you do," he'd bellow.

it was like he thought i was holding out on him. holding out, holding back... life with jamie was no holds barred much of the time.

no wonder i have a head of gray hair.

at any rate, jamie survived, i survived, and today he turns 25. happy birthday, jamie-jim, from the mommy who hopes you never hold back.

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

more of fifty things

despite Beloved being sick as a dog from either a tummy bug or food poisoning, i found some time to continue on my clutter-busting. now that i've gotten the hang of it, it's not as difficult as i thought it would be.

it all comes down to one simple question - when i hold it, does it make me feel heavy, or light?

today, i collected:

1 abraham pamphlet
1 book
1 chewed xmas ornament (yes, it was my favorite for years and years, but its too chewed to put on the tree and whats the point of an xmas ornament you can't hang anywhere?)
1 dog toy - even more chewed
1 address book (for a giveaway)
2 fairy wands (another giveaway)
1 fairy doll (again, a giveaway)
1 himalayan salt lamp (also a giveaway)
1 box of business cards
1 dozen painted wooden flowers
1 living room lamp
1 bear pin
1 candle holder (not my style)
1 broken candle-holder lamp

at this rate, i'll have fifty things by friday. what clutter have YOU collected, Gentle Reader?

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.

Monday, March 1, 2010

finding fifty things

ive set myself a new Spring Cleaning and DeCluttering Challenge, based on a new book i'm reading... to find fifty "things" to throw away, give away, or sell before the end of the month.

today i started in the far corner of my bedroom.

so far i've tossed:

1 2000 engagement calendar (i tore out the pictures to use for SoulCollage cards)
1 half-burnt heart shaped candle
1 pair of gloves
6 books (these i'll send to my mother)
1 hopelessly stained sweatshirt

not bad for twenty minutes worth of work. :)

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it's march

march is my favorite month of the year. not only was i born on the very last day of it, in the last three hours and five minutes of it, but three of the most important people in my life were born in this month: my daddy (happy birthday, daddy, if you read this), my son and my ex-husband.

and it's the month that brings spring. i don't care how cold the air still is, i don't care how hard the winds blow. i don't care what the weather does... by march there's no doubt at all that the light is getting brighter and the sun is coming back.

the wind is howling in the trees this morning, but the birds are calling in the branches, a sound that's been getting steadily more frequent in the last couple weeks. the sun's gold behind the clouds, and there's a hint of green beneath the snow.

and furthermore, the war will end. blessed be.