winooski

Weekend in Vermont

{visiting Lindsay and Blaine}

more photos

{not for the faint of heart as there are many photos here}

perspective {guest post}

This is a post from my daughter's blog.
She and her family live in Cambodia.
We are so proud of her and the mission in her heart.
I hope it touches you as it did us . . . .

survival mode {perspective}

[perspective: the view from our porch as a thunderstorm rolls in ]

because it seemed that the days had been coming in frantic rushes.  there were details to remember, a farewell party to coordinate, daniel's show going late, late, late cutting into precious sleep, arranging babysitters, a saturday board meeting to chair.  round & round she goes.

& i sat in the tuk tuk & exhaled deeply. mind racing, i thought:

"we've been living in survival mode ever since cedar was born.  when will it end?"

& then i remembered.

i remembered the woman with the recycling cart & her newborn slung in a scarf between the bars that she pushed, walking the streets asking for others' trash., unable to rest - where was her maternity leave?

i remembered the boys huddled at the bus stop sniffing the glue bottle.  so young & beautiful & already longing to be numb.

i remembered our own ming kohm & how she had to leave her tiny daughters to go work in the rice fields.  how she heard their cries when a neighbor lied & told them that she was never returning.  how she showed me how she would bind her breasts so she could go the whole day without feeding her baby.

i looked down & remembered that the coffee i was drinking as i whizzed through the city costs the daily wage of the construction workers i watch from my kitchen window.

 oh, right. 

i have never, not ever, known what it is like to live in survival mode.

sometimes perspective is like a swift slap to the face. 

 [but the good kind, like the kind that snaps you out of navel gazing & jolts you into gratitude]

we live in all we seek

patty playpal costumes

Just plain spooky don't you think?

Happy Halloween!

crib sides

Mr. Corners has been cleaning out a store room

readying donations for our church rummage sale.

He came across a small crib but . . . 

with new standards we didn't feel it should be used 

for a baby as the slats are too far apart.

One idea we thought of is to use it for a magazine rack.

 I love how the covers add to our autumn decor.

Do you have any ideas for side number two?

dreaming

For my husband who tolerates the 

"processing" of my dreams each morning . . .

pickles free online by Brian Crane

holding your breath

"You seem to me to be a women holding your breath.

I cannot tell if that is because 
you are waiting for something to end

 or something to begin."

{Lark Rise to Candleford: Season 1, Episode 8}

Mr. Delafield to Dorcus Lane

What are you waiting for . . . .

Leisure House 06

Let me show you the kitchen and dining area in our Leisure House . . .

This is actually part of a great room that

includes the living room but

I'll show you that later.

The refrigerator has water and ice in the door.

A luxury indeed.

Two handmade baskets and a fun hot pad trivet . . . 

"Let the waves hit your feet

and the sand be your seat"

Wouldn't be complete with out a wine rack.

We try to keep the counters tidy

for a more relaxed feel.

One more luxury . . . 

our Keurig coffee maker.

The ever present pop-of-orange on the over-sized island.

The table will seat six by
pulling in the two fabric covered chairs

These also double as living room seating
when we have guests over.

The X's are found on furniture in each room . . .
a fun little theme that I love.

We didn't get to choose this light fixture
but it fits in quite nicely.

Once again a pop-of-orange with
my mom's seashell collection.
There is actually a battery operated light
{from the Dollar Tree}
in the bottom of the bowl for a evening glow.

guard your ID mini roller

My new favorite product

Guard Your ID Mini Roller 1" Wide 160"

 google images

I found mine at Walmart

near the paper shredders

$7

sorry about the annoying music in the above video

you may want to mute it

cooper

Cooper is hanging out with Grandma Mary 

while Blaine and Lindsay 

are at a wedding. 

I think he misses them already. 

I tried to cheer him up by watching Daniel Tiger 

but he wasn't interested.

beer cheese soup

Since autumn's arrival

we have returned to our Soup Sunday routine.

Here is our first of the season . . . .

Beer Cheese Soup

3 stalks celery chopped
1 small onion chopped
2 Tbls butter

2 cans cream of celery soup
12 oz beer
15 oz shredded cheddar cheese (4 cups)
2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 tsp paprika

croutons (optional)

Pace butter, celery and onion in slow cooker. Cook on high for 2-3 hours stirring occasionally until soft.

Place rest of ingredients in slow cooker except croutons. Cover and cook on high 2 hours stirring occasionally.

Top with croutons before serving.