a giveaway!

Hi friends!  Just wanted to let you know I am sponsoring a giveaway over at Sweet Greens.

Head on over and enter to win! The contest ends July 15th at 12am EST.

little discoveries

I must admit, we had fantasized a bit about the possibility that underneath all the carpeted areas of our new house, we would find beautiful old wood flooring that would just need a little refinishing… but that wasn’t the case. HOWEVER… I did make a little discovery this week…

The stairways have been an area we have not been quite sure what to do with. It can be a little bit complicated and time consuming to floor and trim such a multi-surfaced structure. We weren’t sure where this project was at at on our list of priorities, or how soon we would be ready to re-cover them if we pulled that carpet up…

Well, after taking the carpet out of that little bedroom last week and feeling the immediate improvement in air quality and aesthetic appeal, I felt pretty sure I was ready to risk it. We knew there would be some form of wood under there, and it would surely be better than dirty, stinky carpet. What I found though, beneath the dirt and grunge, was far better than I had imagined…

The wood has been marred by nails and staples and past haphazard paint jobs and trim jobs, but they are clean-able and natural and have great character. With a bit of attention, and maybe some trim, they will be beautiful. They actually bring back fond memories of the basement stairs back on the east coast when I was little.

freedom

In general, I tend to be at odds with most every holiday and the ways in which they are “celebrated.” July 4 is no exception and is, in some ways, the holiday which saddens me the most. Heavy metals and other pollutants are burned into the air we breathe; streets, lakes, oceans and rivers are littered with these spent fireworks; accidental fires are set and people get injured. When I ask people why they participate in this kind of behavior, they can not come up with an answer that has meaning and even though they may be able to fully relate to how senseless it is, they will choose to participate anyway. When it is suggested that we come up with a new way to celebrate, with an intention behind our celebration and to creatively choose activities that have meaning to us, the response is often silence, discomfort or justification of the old way.

To do something because it has always been done, and because everyone else is doing it, does not make it the wise thing to do. This kind of mindless behavior is dangerous in a way that spans far beyond the seeming innocent act of participating in a pretty show of lights.

Stripped down to it’s simplest, this day signifies freedom. We need to challenge ourselves to act out of freedom… we have the freedom to choose and think in new ways; the freedom to act of ourselves, and to go beyond old beliefs; the freedom to leave behind destructive and senseless traditions and create new ones that are a creative celebration of life.

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I would like to share something fresh, on Freedom…

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Freedom

By acting in freedom

we free those around us.

Freedom is always total,

and for this you must let go

of your attachment to everything.

Attachment equals pain.

Attachments to security, spiritual

and social ideas serve only

to drain one’s energy.

Truly great acts need no attachment.

The struggle to realize yourself

as energy while in the form world,

brings freedom through awareness.

Freedom is our greatest responsibility; love is our

greatest freedom.

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project 1

The very first thing I have wanted to do in our new house is to get the carpet in the main floor bedroom out.  Immediately.  It didn’t matter what we would replace it with, or even when.  Something went on in this house, which we can only begin to guess about, but this particular carpet was saturated in urine.

So here we have my first project.

My mom was visiting this week and she helped me pull the staples and carpet tackers out the following day.  It was very satisfying to get this out of there and to air out that room for real!  Simply cleaning up this one room has changed the overall feel (and aroma) of the whole main floor.

We’re starting to research paint, and are currently leaning toward natural clay plaster.  It comes in the most beautiful earthy tones, from pinks and yellows to blues and browns, and it’s entirely natural and from the earth.  And hopefully, we will have flooring ordered sometime in the coming week.  We’ll see how it goes.

we made it!

After long weeks and months of patient (and sometimes not so patient) waiting, we finally have the keys in our hands and are able to officially call our new house “OUR HOUSE.”  It is still sinking in!  In addition to this, my entire family came for a visit – the first time all of us have been together here on the coast, where my sister and I have both lived off and on for nearly 10 years.  This visit just so happened to fall on the day the deal closed, so this last week has been beyond crazy. My brother’s birthday was on Friday and mine was yesterday and I feel like my attention has been demanded in 9 different directions at once.  I have been stealing every possible moment to work on filling orders and I want to say THANK YOU to my customers, who have been so incredibly awesome and understanding this week.  Things will start to level out again tomorrow and we are excited to develop a new rhythm in our lives.  There are great plans in the making and I am so excited.

And now, it’s time to get to work! I’ve got sewing to do and then carpet to pull.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Auction For Carol

Image property of Scott and Carol Decker

Recently, I learned of the unfathomable medical tragedy that changed the life of Carol Decker a year ago this Sunday. I don’t know Carol and her family personally, but I have been deeply touched by their incredible strength and optimism. Carol’s husband Scott maintains a blog, where you can learn about their story and the reality that Carol and her young family face.

Starting on Sunday June 14, there will be a 3 day silent auction to help raise funds toward the almost $80,000 in medical bills they will need to pay. This auction has been coordinated by Carol’s close friend Erica. I have donated an organic Rogue bag to help raise funds. If you would like to support this event, visit the Auction for Carol blog. If you would like to donate an item for the auction contact Erica at ericathur4@yahoo.com. There are so many wonderful items to bid on, so definitely check it out! You can also simply make a supportive monetary donation, by clicking the PayPal button on the right side of the page at the Auction for Carol site.

Since I learned about the Deckers, I think of them daily. Carol has been through something I can not even begin to imagine; physically, psychologically or emotionally. It is deeply inspiring to see her determination and strength to heal, be there for her children and to learn how to live her life in a new way.

pink

I am finding I have a new appreciation for pink. Particularly that delicate, baby pink and those dusty earthy pinks. So warm and soft, like a baby that just woke from a nap, with rosy cheeks and tousled hair.

Here’s a little pink from lately

springing into summer

Spring seems to have come, and nearly turned to summer, almost overnight. The warming of the days has been so gradual here, that it has been hard to notice it’s even happening, except that for the last few days I have wanted to leave the back door open all afternoon and evening, to listen to Swainson’s Thrush singing it’s evening song, and hear the ocean rushing to the shore.

The life around me keeps me in touch… the flowers are exploding everywhere, and just in the last couple days there are a new set of floral explosions taking place, and a new migration of birds arriving. I feel a little bit antsy these days, wanting to drink up the spring air, go camping under the night sky, listen endlessly to the song of birds and feel the warm breezes on my face. This is a little bit of what is around me today.

The first rose bloom appeared… 

baby birds are being born, and mama birds are very active…

the salmonberry are fruiting…

and the foxglove are getting ready to blossom into beautiful stalks of colorful bells…

I am sometimes overwhelmed by the vastness of worlds re-opening right now, springing back to life. It is deeply inspiring and fulfilling.

What changes are you observing where you live?

dollar melons and drive-by omens

Let me tell you, it’s been quite a week. We have never been so antsy for news in all our adult lives. The date set for the closing on our house was May 28, and yes that was YESTERDAY. There is one last document needed by the title company and finally, right at the last moment, it seemed they had received it. It turns out though, that the document they received was one they already had… so we are still waiting. In the mean time, we went to make a little visit to the house this afternoon. On the way there, in a mix of excitement and uncertainty about all this waiting, I suggested, “Let’s look for an omen!” So down the road we continued, quiet, still and watching. We crossed the bridge, entering the south side of town, and continued through familiar scenery. A crow soared in the trees above, a fire warning sign indicated the danger was low, things generally looked the same yet seemed somehow sharper and clearer, as they often do when being still and present. As we passed the little golf putting place to the right, we both did a double take. The reader board sign read,

WELCOME

FUSION

Woah. We looked at eachother with surprise (I wish I could replay that look), and continued down the road, remaining quiet for a short while longer. I have seen that sign countless times and it usually announces something relevant to golfing. What the heck could WELCOME FUSION mean (besides being a message just to me, to us… except, HEY you forgot the IN)? So fast forward to post house visit (which is another wild story in itself!) and I made darn sure to check that sign again on our way back. The south side of the sign, visible on the return trip, said something about 3 par and 9 par golf. I thought, ‘ha! and it only said it on the side seen from our entry into this part of town!’ As we passed the sign I cocked my head around to look at the WELCOME FUSION sign again, only this time what I found was a repeat of the 3 par 9 par message. The WELCOME FUSION was gone! I am completely satisfied we found our omen, and it awakened a fresh excitement. And on the other hand I am a wee bit stunned by this event. Have you ever had something like this happen?? I have looked for and seen many omens in my life, and they are indeed in the moment, but none have struck me quite like this. Quite often I find omens in the natural world – a burst of activity in a pile of leaves, a pair of bids interacting in a remarkable way, a stone flying up and hitting the windshield, but these can all be viewed simultaneously as an occurrence of nature. This however, stands out in a way that can’t be explained away. How I wish I would have taken a photo of that sign.

In the more ordinary world of today, I am excited to be seeing signs of the bounty of the season returning! Here is some of what we brought home today. Not all local of course, but definitely all looking, smelling and tasting much more seasonal. And yep, this is where the dollar melon part comes in. We bought FIVE, and will have no trouble eating them this week. Steven wishes we bought TEN, but I don’t think we could have fit anymore in our car today.

We also found a few things at the thrift store. Another vintage filing box (of which I found 2 others a couple weeks ago, just as I was vowing to get more organized but finding it so difficult to buy anything new), a vintage Fire King Philbe Sapphire pie plate and a miniature solid oak cradle, which looks to be handmade, that I will use to store little somethings in… of which I am not sure what yet.

Keep your fingers crossed for us!

And have yourselves a wonderful weekend, filled with sunshine, laughter and blue skies!

Giveaway Results…

Thank you everyone who participated. I really enjoyed reading everyone’s comments and tracking back to your blogs or photostreams where possible.

The results are in! I did the old fashioned draw method (and we had so much fun doing this little photo documentation for you all). I wrote each of your names on a piece of paper and put them all in my vintage measuring / mixing bowl… The suspense was profound! : )

The first choosing was for the slippers, and the winner is…. .Ellie! Ellie, of Petalplum, a new friend whose blog I enjoyed exploring. And in fact, I just discovered SHE is having a giveaway TODAY!

The second name was drawn for the winning of the hemp pouch and the little unnamed surprise.

And that winner is…. marri! Marri is a fantastic knitter, and you can view her works in progress (and her adventures with fun cats and rabbits) here.

Congratulations Ellie and Marri! I will be in touch with each of you soon.

Thanks again everyone. I really had fun with this! There will be more giveaways to come!