more perfect

I wouldn’t call Jake a big reader but one of his all time favorites is A River Runs Through It. He has the book, he has it on CD and of course we have the movie memorized. It gets turned on when we’re having a little down time every so often. There’s this one part when the author, a fly fisherman of course, is catching more fish than his brother for once and he’s feeling pretty good about himself. He says, “When I was young, a teacher had forbidden me to say ‘more perfect’ because she said if a thing is perfect it can’t be more so. But by now I had seen enough of life to have regained my confidence in it. Twenty minutes ago I had felt perfect, but by now my brother was taking off his hat and changing flies every few casts…Once in a while I looked back and smiled at the basket. I could hear it thumping on the rocks and falling on its side. However I may have violated grammar, I was feeling more perfect with every Rainbow.”

One night on a date things didn’t go quite how we planned and we ended up eating late at this delicious restaurant. We got some seafood chowder and split the seared tuna on a bed of greens and I swear it was the most delicious meal I had ever eaten. It tasted perfect and filled me up just right—you know when you’re satisfied but not so full that you feel sick. I can’t even really remember what else we did; I just remember that the meal and the company were as close to heaven as I could get and as we were walking down the street hand in hand I said “This was the perfect night.” He said, “No, it was more perfect.”

We have taken on that phrase now when things are going exceptionally well. And here I am ready to go to sleep for the night on our twelfth wedding anniversary and it’s all I can think about. How my marriage is more perfect.

Self Portrait Challenge {political}

So I’ve decided to write myself in for president this November. If there happens to be any of you who are having a hard time choosing who to vote for, I’m willing to be your out. That way you can vote in good conscience. I’m an Independent, so it won’t matter if you’re a Republican or Democrat and I have no voting record as I have never served in a public office. (Unless you count that I was President of my 8th grade class. Man the school store rocked that year.) So pretty much. Brittany for President!

go here for more political self portraits.

Self Portrait Challenge {blue}

3 out of 5 have the blues here.

Self Portrait Challenge {Celebration}

because my bathroom is finally all one color
because I’m in love with my husband
because the days are lengthening
because I have food to cook for dinner
because my boy is getting better
because I have been given a new perspective on life
because I am smitten with my children
because I can choose
because there’s still time to do all that I mean to do
because I can go make chocolate milk any time I want it
because there is an unspoken promise of a bloom and a sunrise
because I can find beauty all around me

to see what other people are celebrating click here.

Self Portrait Challenge {What I wear} *and a giveaway,too!

You asked for it, and here it is! If you want to own this apron, just comment below. The deadline is Friday, November 30th at 11:59 pm. Anyone who leaves a comment will be entered into a drawing and the winner will be announced on December 1st.



I have been making bunches of aprons and will be taking pictures of them and posting them at my etsy shop later this week. I will also be running a Christmas special on the lotions!

Happy holidays!

self portrait challenge {what I wear}

I prefer floral scents.

spc

Self Portrait Challenge {What I Wear}

I'm a pretty casual kind of girl. Most of the time I dress for comfort. Like today. I wore my "green is good" t-shirt from Target and some jeans. (since I'm wearing that shirt, I'll tell you one thing I do to be "good:" I use Shaklee cleaning products in my home. Swear by them. Love them. And they're green.) I'm also wearing my beloved ipod and some of sarah's art.

Jeans and a t-shirt, yadda yadda yadda. I'm not so keen on this month's self portrait challenge, but I need to post today--I've joined ranks with the NaBloPoMo's (National Blog Posting Month-you're supposed to post every day in November). It will be a challenge, but I can handle a challenge.

Speaking of a challenge, Jake and I are starting training for a half marathon! Any advice????

Now, about the cat that has died...Mr. Cosmo was a very grumpy and mean old guy who never came inside and wouldn't really let you pet him, but when he did let you pet him he would pass gas. (yes, I know, I just sounded like my grandmother.) {The cat was a total farter. Is that more age appropriate?} I didn't think I was attached. My guess is that he got hit by a car or something, because his leg was badly broken and needed a very costly surgery, so we had him put down. (Please don't judge me.) Well, I cried like a baby. #3 was with me, but she just didn't get it. I broke the news to #1 and #2 after school, and slowly #3 started to understand from their reactions. It all happened very fast and unexpectedly and they were so sad. My sweet youngest wanted to see for herself so she stole a butter knife, snuck out to the garage (where I was keeping him until his funeral, which was very nice, by the way) and opened the box Cosmo's body was in. She came and got me and told me about finding him in the box and the rest was history. She was a broken hearted little tiny mess for the rest of the day. I answered a million questions about life and death that spanned from very simple to very complex and held her and soothed her all day and had to rock and sing her to sleep. She did a little better today, poor baby, bless her heart. (I guess I feel like sounding like my grandma.)

See ya tomorrow!

Self Portrait Challenge {Food & Me}

I'm thinking that you might not want to know what I'm craving right now{...some A positive with a little O on the side...}

Happy Halloween!

*Edited to add:

Here's a more friendly "Stephenie Meyer" version:) I'm just having a little learning experience on photoshop...I may add several more before the night is over!

{later: jake deleted all my vampire pictures. too scary. I guess he likes the nice ME:)}

Self Portrait Challenge {Food & Me}

This past week I got intimate with grapes. We could smell them as we walked up to the grape vines at out friends’ house. There’s something that makes you want to keep cutting bunches from the vine when you hold that delicate bundle in your hand and place it down carefully into a pile of purple deliciousness.

{Sorry, but I just have to post a lot of grape pictures.}















From the vine to the jar. Grape juice and grape jelly. It’s perfection in a jar.

go here for other's self portraits with food

Self Portrait Challenge {Food and Me}

Birthday cake. It can be frustrating. Half of the time it doesn't turn out right and I have spent a lot of flour, sugar, time and energy for nothing but a disappointment. I grew up in a grab-a-box-and-add-the-eggs-oil-and-milk kind of cake-making family. Well, to my husband, that just doesn't cut it. There are a lot of Birthdays in a year! That's a lot of home made cakes in order to make the man I love swoon.

One Birthday in particular (I don't remember who's Birthday, but I do remember the stupid cake!), Brooke called right at the peak of my frustrations and I ended up having a full on tantrum about baking cakes and how I can never get it right. For Christmas she gave me The Cake Bible and then I took a couple classes from a friend who is a professional cake maker. Still about half of the cakes turn out crappy, but I'm getting better. Eleven years of home made cakes. That's a lot of cake. (That's why I always am taking pictures of my cakes, because when they actually turn out, I am so pleased!)

This one is the one that gets baked about 50% of the time. Here it is in all it's glory, a couple days after the big day getting the milk treatment:

Self Portrait Challenge {food and me}

i have been so BUSY, and yet last night i spread roast with mashed potatoes and gravy and butternut squash on the table: three out of five enjoyed the meal. (you might say, that's good; it is the majority. and yet...when i spend a couple hours on dinner (i know, most of that time it was cooking in the oven and i didn't "work," but still, the effort is there, people.) and two children refuse the meal...you have to scrape all that food that didn't go into their bellys into the garbage. you have to hear them say, "I hate squash!" and then have the whole conversation about how the better way to express that is "I really like these potatoes, but I don't really care for squash." it's all very disappointing.)

tonight, i made tacos: five out of five, baby. 15 minutes prep time and i haven't seen my children eat that much in months.



more relationships with food here

Self Portrait Challenge: Elements {Water}

the surface
reflects all other elements

earth
atmosphere
light

only penetrating the surface
do you plunge into
hidden depths

and begin
to understand
life that is teeming within

Resting upon the earth
Floating through the air
Penetrating fire

take in the
life-giving particles
allowing the element
to become part of you

more elements here

Self Portrait Challenge: Environment

Here I am on the Big Rock in the neighborhood I grew up in surrounded by my children and nieces and nephew.

Brooke is here with her littles and we're having so much fun!



Everywhere we go people give us looks--I guess New Englanders aren't used to lots of little kids. Phrases like, "Are all those yours?" and "Well, you've got your hands full." are quite common here, but when I doubled my numbers, we get it twice as much. Six kids can get pretty loud! But it can be pretty fun, too.

We've been beach bums:











We've been eating lots of ice cream:



We've been saving turtles:





We've been doing grave rubbings and learning all about the history of New England:







(Yes, he picked out his own outfit. very snazzy. but a true working pump was quite amazing to the children and they all wanted a turn.)

We've been smelling lots of roses (over 300 rosebushes):






We've been doing lots o' fun stuff. We've gone through over 8 gallons of milk in 6 days. We've eaten over 3 loaves of bread. (and like 30 corn dogs--gross, I know--a weak moment in the Sam's club aisle) We've been picking strawberries (pictures to come). We've calmed 467 tantrums and resolved 398 tattle tailing incidents. We've washed 1,899 dishes. We've had lots of discussion about what the plot of Eclipse will hold, and hours and hours of non stop talking in general. And now I must go and soothe one really bad sunburn with aloe and then fall exhausted into bed. We're going to have lots more fun tomorrow!


for more environments, click here.

Self Portrait Challenge: Environment

Okay, sometimes self portraits are just NOT flattering. {But I'm posting it anyway:)} As it ends up, we're making a little tradition of having Family Night at the beach when summer comes calling. One of my favorite things about where I live is that the beach is so wonderfully close. Growing up we were at the beach as often as we could get there, and my mom would pack the cooler and we'd spend the entire day on the shore. I'm not a planner aheader kind of girl, so luckily we live close enough that I can just yell, "okay, get your swimming suits on! Time to go to the beach!" and we grab our handy beach bag with water, sun screen, a blanket and towels and go until we're too hungry to go any longer. When I'm in a thinking ahead type place I'll grab cherries {the perfect beach treat} or some nice little snack so we can hold out a little longer. There is no fighting at the beach. No "don't touch me's" or "she hit me's" to speak of. This summer I'm noticing that the beach is relaxing again...no babies! What a difference a year or two makes. I actually read my book the other day at the beach--the first time in about 8 years. [insert hallelujah chorus here]

Here are some other pics without my giant noggin:







click here for other creative bloggers' takes on the self portrait challenge.

SPC: Environment

This month the challenge is to show yourself in your surroundings, using your environment as a marker of who you are. -Self Portrait Challenge

Self Portrait Challenge {In the Street}

There's something about the street that draws the children. We don't live on a very busy road, but the cars that do go past seem to be in a rush. The kids want to go outside, and my biggest job is to keep them in the back yard. I seem to say over and over again, "Don't go in the street! Go to the back yard!"

What is the draw? Something about being in the street...

Self Portrait Challenge {Online Tools}

Last night I got my quickbooks up to date. My friend came over and spend a few hours with me and taught me that I don't need to fear taxes. What a relief! I can do this!

more self portraits here.

Inspiration

I'm combining Sunday Scribblings {Inspiration} (yes, a little late.) and Self Portrait Challenge {online tools}.

The thing about inspiration is that if you don't act on it, then nothing comes from it...well, except for that good feeling which accompanies it. The other thing that I've noticed is that it comes more often when I'm already working at something so I'm already open to it.

Here are a few of the many things that inspire me (in no particular order, and leaving many things out):

• nature
• brainstorming
• good music
• prayer
• good photography
• details
• the smell of paint, graphite and adhesive of any kind
• nostalgia
• Nephi
• athletes
• working in the yard
• other peoples' examples
• lots of the blogs I read
• poetry
• sunshine
• so much more.....

Self Portrait Challenge

Is it too early to admit spring fever? As I drive along the desolate grey streets of New England, the bare branches swaying, the snow crusted over with dirt and sand along the edges of the road, I see in my mind the lushness that will be coming soon. The light green of the new leaves, the softness of the muddy ground about to burst with new life.

I feel melancholy and blue. The kind that overcomes you when you return from being care free, only to rediscover all the many things waiting for your attention. All the things you left undone, and then more added upon it while you were gone. Do you know that feeling? It can’t be just me that experiences the after-vacation blues…right? I’ve been hiding in between the pages of a couple books, hardly popping my head out to look around my waiting world. Now the books are finished and the characters only live in my mind. {What fun books to read!}

I’ll post pictures of my trip soon…

SPC: Black & White

My mom once told me I was too black and white. I think she felt like I was judging her. Maybe she felt like I wasn’t giving her enough room to be human. She may be right about me. I have a strong sense of right and wrong, and I get frustrated when people don’t act accordingly when I think they should know better. I hold a high standard, especially with the people who mean the most to me.

But I know there are lots of shades in between the two lightest and darkest ones. I know what it’s like to falter. I have felt temptation and given in. I have needed forgiveness and mercy from loved ones and from God. I can not judge; it is not my place. I choose to love anyway. I choose to forgive. I guess that’s pretty black and white too, even though the emotions that go along with it come in all shades of grey.

self portrait challenge