The 3/50 Project in Action

In the spirit of Project 3/50 we had a big day of shopping local last weekend. We started at our favorite lunch spot, Stone Soup, for yet another delicious meal. The back patio flowerbeds are bursting with color, in many shades of lavender and green. It sets the mood to slow down and enjoy. The lunch was excellent, asparagus-red and pepper-blue cheese whole wheat quesadillas.

And the coconut-lime cake we shared for dessert was terrific! Very dense yet delicate. It is definitely becoming one of our favorite local eateries.

We then headed east, over Afton Mountain to Critzer Farm, home of pick-your-own-strawberries. The berries were looking gorgeous and we picked up a couple of pre-picked quarts. We'll head back next weekend to pick-our-own for homemade jam and strawberry pie. (yum!)

Then we headed south for some thrifting at Rockfish Community Center. The old elementary schoolhouse has been converted into a thrift store, a gathering space and the Earl Hamner Jr. Theater. It's a lovely little spot with a great view of the mountains to the west. From there we headed south to the SPCA Thrift Shop in Lovingston which has moved to a new location just south of town. We were greeted by the nicest ladies there. It made us feel especially good knowing that our money from what we bought went to help pay for the care of all the sweet pets at Almost Home Animal Shelter. The new thrift store is huge, very clean and well organized. We picked up some great deals, recycled castaways and helped the furbabies all in one visit. Nice!

After that we headed up to Wintergreen to meet the hubs at the pool. The kids enjoyed the pool while J'Daddy and I caught a little sun on the deck. Employees families can hang out for free which is a very nice bonus for us. We had a picnic on the mountain overlook and from the pic above you can clearly see why they are called the Blue Ridge Mountains. They are beautiful!

I encourage you to explore and enjoy the treasures that are right around you. Shop Local. All told, we really didn't spend that much but every little bit helps. These shopkeepers and workers are our neighbors. Helping them helps all of us.

Best of Friends

I had the most wonderful surprise package show up on my doorstep recently. I opened the package to find four signed art prints from my old friend Victor. My favorite is Best of Friends, shown above. Years ago, Vic and I worked together at a small ad agency in the midwest. Vic was the photographer and I was the art director. We spent a lot of time together working on shoots and scouting locations. He's an incredibly talented photographer and a great guy. A few years ago he had an on-the-job accident that required several months of rehab. He started drawing again, mostly focusing on horses and western art, as a way to pass time while recuperating. He's had alot of interest in his work from western and horse enthusiasts and various equestrian associations. Pop over to Victor Burdick Art Studio to check out his work. Feel free to share it with any horse lovers or equestrian enthusiasts you know. Thanks for the great art Vic!

The Gift of Clean

It's been a wonderful Mother's Day. I've been showered with handmade cards, breakfast out, perennials for my flowerbed and my favorite – hugs, hugs and more hugs. I thought about my first Mother's Day, now 11 years ago, which seems more like 100. A brand new tiny person that's now almost as tall as I am. And my baby who's not even close to being a baby anymore. I think about my Mom, whose baby is almost 40. All the things that she did and still does for us, she's always busy. I suppose I didn't far fall from the tree. Even today, I am doing chores just like any other day. Why is it that chores never go on holiday? I started cleaning the windows and noticed I was running low on window cleaner. Time to whip up another batch! As I was mixing it all together, I thought it might be fun to share my recipe with you. I really like this stuff and it's a much less expensive option than what you'll find at the store. Not to mention it's earth, human and pet-friendly and smells fabulous - enjoy!

Lemon-Mint Window Cleaner
2 cups water or club soda
Juice of one fresh lemon (though you can substitute bottled pure lemon juice)
1/2 teaspoon peppermint essential oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Mix all ingredients and pour into a plastic spray bottle. Shake well before you use it each time as ingredients may settle. Consider reusing newspaper or lint-free cotton rags to clean your windows, rather than paper towels.

Irony is hell

My kids and I were chilling at Rapunzel's coffeehouse and used bookstore the other day. The kids went on into the store to find something fun to read and a soft sofa to crash on while I ordered myself a chai. A few minutes later, decaf spiced chai in hand, I sat down on a red velvet sofa and looked across the room to see what my tots were up to. Low and behold I see my son reading this – clearly not recommended reading for an 8 yr old. After a good laugh, and snapping this pic, I went over to take a closer look. "What are you reading son?" I said to him. "It's a cartoon book Mom." "Did you read the words on the front of the book?" I questioned. "Yeah" he said. "And you still thought it was a good idea to go ahead and open it up?" I asked. "It's just cartoons Mom, the drawings are cool but the stories are a little weird." Then he paused and said "You would like it," handed me the book and was off to the bookshelf again. 'nuf said ;-)

Project 3/50

I just came across this great project. I urge you to take a look and act. It really does matter where you spend your money.

Family Meetings

I came home from work today to a house full of cranky people. Even Mango was giving me his talk-to-the-tail routine. Somewhere between the pickup line at school and getting dinner on the table, something had obviously gone very, very wrong with my family. My kids greeted me with a low-talking hi mom. My husband was darting around in the kitchen and avoiding eye contact at all costs. Everyone’s panties were in a twist. As I stood in the kitchen assessing the moods in the room, I knew exactly what we needed — a magically restorative family meeting. We are BIG on family meetings. They aren’t always pretty but they always end well. It's how we make our decisions, hand down verdicts, diffuse attitude bombs and name new pets. Family meetings have seen us through the good, the bad and the sticky. It’s a chance for everyone to have even footing, no matter who was right and who was wrong (or wronged in some cases). It gives each person a chance to be heard fairly. We always sit during our family meetings. It helps us to stop — literally — calming us and helping us formulate our arguments and positions on the matter at hand. Inherently one person takes on the role of the peacemaking facilitator, while the accused and accuser square off. The tension melts away a little with each word that's spoken. Until we end up completely seeing the other persons point of view. Apologies, realizations and forgiveness often make an appearance. Today’s family meeting was a familiar topic. Someone said something that upset someone else: resentment stewed, tempers flared, kids fought. After about 15 minutes of reminding my daughter not to interrupt while others shared their side of the story and reminding my husband to rephrase what he’d said that set her off in the first place; we reached an accord. They both said what they really meant to say to begin with. They took ownership for their words and really thought about how their harsh tones had hurt the other person. They took turns saying “I’m sorry.” A few tears were shed, loving smiles and hugs were shared. It's a good practice that I highly recommend. It works for us. And all is right with our world, for today.

Lucky Lovely 7

My best to Denise at Freshly Found for sharing the Kreativ Blogger award with me. My interpretation of the 7 things I love list is to focus on things or situations rather than people. Obviously I love my family more than words can express; friends, pets and those I share my life with. That being said, here's my list of 7 things that I love:



1. Being a Mom; the most important thing I'll ever be

2. Learning new things & going to places I've never been before

3. The taste of dark chocolate



4. Exploring perfect design in nature

5. Good memories

6. Hunting seashells at the beach

7. Clever things, funny moments - I love the joy in a good laugh

And now for the list of 7 creative bloggers that inspire me:
strongrrl
pesky cat designs
the constant gatherer
wishing willow
cheeky beaks
oh happy day
simple + pretty