Naturally Optimistic

Because I am in need of some serious distractions (not really anything new to report, btw), I have become addicted to the website Pinterest in a very short amount of time. It's like having an online "design board" or "idea board." You can create categories & 'pin' different photos, ideas, books, projects, things you love, etc...It's so fun to look through the things that people have pinned (& you can "re-pin" them). I am so inspired to make several things RIGHT NOW which is not at all practical...but like I said a very good distraction. If you're interested - check it out!

So we've just passed the 48 hour mark after Carolyn's brain injury. Not much new to report. She is still in critical condition. They take her off the sedation every few hours or so to do some assessments & today 2 of the 3 tests have been very encouraging. She's able to follow commands (ie: wiggle your toes). These are very positive signs as it shows brain functionality, cognitive ability, etc. I have to be some optimistic about this. I simply cannot imagine her NOT recovering. The logical side of me knows that that MAY happen, but right now I have to cling to hope. (photo from Easter 2011) I set up a CaringBridge site for her. Please keep those prayers coming!

My Mother-in-Law Carolyn had a massive brain hemorrhage today. We don't know a lot yet, but it is "dire" in the words of the doctors. She had a lot of bleeding & a long surgery. She was still sedated & they want to keep her calm so that things can heal a bit. They're looking for "movement' right now - ie: pupils dialating, helping the ventilator with breaths, etc to determine what the extent of the damage is to her brain. Obviously our family is heartbroken. She is a rock & pillar to many & this news is very devastating. All I can think about is Dahlia - she & Dahlia are very close & trying to explain all this to her breaks my heart even more. Please keep her in your thoughts & prayers. I do believe that all of them & other assorted good vibes from the universe, warm fuzzies, positive energy - whatever - WORKS. I will update when I know more.

We had a wonderful weekend at the Mesaba Co-Op Park celebrating Juhannus or Midsummer. It's a place & a festival we'd never heard of before a few weeks ago when twice in the same day it was mentioned to us. Once to me by friends & once to Steve by our neighbor (who happens to be on the board & very involved). Turns out they all know each other quite well. Crazy. I'll spare you the details about the park (you can read a bit more about it here ) & just say that it's unique to say the least. A bit like summer camp for adults as GTR said (she was there with her family too - first time she'd be there!) There were activities for young & old; potlucks & meals served in the mess hall; great music for dancing; open stage, yoga, sustainability workshops, fairy house building & the most enormous bonfire I have ever seen. We brought food & we also ate at the mess hall (we weren't quite sure what to expect). How easy though to not REALLY h...

Well, internet, it has finally arrived. Our first camping foray as a family of four. I'm excited (but man I hate packing). I will be out of the wired-world for a few days to return with many happy stories, lasting memories, new friends & oodles of photos. Maybe a little sunshine on my cheeks & a few mosquito bites too. Have a great weekend!

Project: Sling Bag Start Date: Fall 2009 (?) Status: Incomplete Using the awesome "Shrek" inspired yarn which I've had since I did a knitting swap back in the fall of 2006 (!), I decided to make this bag for myself. Something I've yet to do! And of course I have yet to finish! I need to finish knitting the strap (not pictured), felt bag & strap, line & make decorative flowers. Ha. At this rate I should be done by 2016. Project: Boyfriend (Husband) Scarf Start Date: November 2010 Intended Completion Date: Christmas 2010 Status: ALMOST completed Whatever made me think I could start such a thick scarf on such small needles in November & be done in December. I guess I AM an optimist. I gave this to Steve for Christmas anyway - on needles - & have worked on it pretty much exclusively at Stitch & Bitch for the past 5 months. I finished a few weeks ago! Whohoo! But I still need to weave in the ends...by NEXT Christmas it will be done for sure.... Project...

Things sometimes don't turn out how you want them to. And sometimes that's okay. It's not the usual, just different. Our Solstice Celebration at least happened this year, so I think we came out on the 'win' side of things. Carolyn came over to watch the kids - fed them, played, got them ready for bed, which in and of itself is cause for celebration. Grandpa Roger even came over for a little bit upon Dahlia's request. Steve & I headed out for happy hour. We ended up going to the bar at the Radisson (Bowery Brothers, I think its called) because I simply HAD to have the Cauliflower Fritters. The last time we went there, they were OUT (!) and that was a huge disappointment. They did not let me down. Yum. Then off to the theater where we 'checked in' using our FourSquare apps on our phones to each score a free popcorn. That coupled with the wine we sneaked in made for a cheap night of refreshments. (Shhhh, don't tell). We saw MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, which ...

Today is the Solstice...I believe at 5:16pm or something. Exactly. But it's not very summery. With highs only in the 40's & 50's (WHAT?) & rain & wind, it's pretty hard to be in the spirit of the season. On our longest day of the year when it *should* be light until 11pm (well, light-ish), we won't be able to enjoy it because it'll be cloudy & dark. Hmph. AND we had a babysitter lined up for tonight - had her in place for probably over a month...but I sort of dropped the ball & didn't talk to her until last night & now she's not available. Argh. Well, we're going to make the best of it. Steve & I are going out anyway! Carolyn's going to come down to watch the kids, we're going to have happy hour & then possibly go to a movie. I'd love to be hiking out West on the SHT, but it's just not going to happen this year. Ah well, next year? Luckily we took a little family hike to the creek after supper last nigh...

Wisconsin themed postcards going out today. Real posts...coming soon.

I'm still sending postcards and today have hit #60! Whohooo! The latest batch includes beauties from Cutty's campground in Des Moines, IA; some lovely lady divers from Korea; Cypress Gardens from my visit there in 1979 (!) and a totally random Model A (I think?) that I believe lived for a short time on the set of Riley. We took it down because, what the heck? Fear not...I am far from running out so if you haven't gotten one lately, it's likely that you will get one soon. IF I have your address, of course....

After SEVEN years...I've changed the look of my blog. 1. How can it be that I've been keeping up with a project for 7 YEARS? Yay for me! I'm kind of proud of myself. 2. How could it have taken me SEVEN YEARS!? 3. I've enlisted some help ( you know who you are) but haven't gotten around to actually figuring anything out- hopefully soon (July 9?)...I'm just playing with templates right now that ACTUALLY work for the first time in months. 4. This is actually how I spend a Friday night. I'm still standing at the computer in the kitchen. I am officially lame. 5. I'm actually not sure more than 1 or 2 of you still actually READ the blog so if you do - leave me some comment love for crying out loud! 6. Good night (see item #4. Officially lame.)

A few updates...finally...over here .... *email me if you want access & you don't have it.

My friend Lindsay posted this recipe for laundry soap a while back. It coincided perfectly with a scary presentation we had at ECFE about chemicals in all of our products & how toxic the environment is. So, I thought now is the time to break my addiction to TIDE (oh how I love thee!!). Plus its ridiculously cheap to make. And that fits into my budget right now. Here's the recipe: 1 bar Fels-Naptha soap (found in the laundry soap section) 1 c. Arm & Hammer WASHING Soda (Not baking soda!! Also found in the cleaner/laundry section) 1/2 c. Borax (same section) 5 gallon bucket Clean, empty laundry detergent container Essential Oils (optional) 1.Grate the bar of soap and throw it in a saucepan with 4 c. water over med-high heat. Stir until all the soap is melted. 2. Fill the 5 gallon bucket half full with hot water. 3. Add the melted soap/water, washing soda and borax to the 5 gallon bucket. 4. Fill the bucket the rest of the way up with water. Give it a whirl, cover and let it ...

So I had a screening of my film last night - and it was fun! We had a couple of "sold out" shows - and by 'sold out' I mean that our RSVP list for each was full a couple of days before the event. We were taking donations so it wasn't like people were purchasing tickets, but it was good to get an idea of how many people would show. We have been VERY disappointed in the past. I overbooked the theater so luckily we had a few cancellations yesterday - whew! I think everyone who wanted to get in to the 7:15 show did. No one was turned away. We were full for the early show & about 80% for the 2nd show - I'll take it! It was FUN to watch the film with an audience. FRESH EYES. Eyes that are not related to me by blood or marriage. Eyes that were not simply pre-biased because of our friendships (although lots of those too!). One of my biggest fears going into last night was that people would be disappointed. We worked hard to make this a beautiful, lovely, film and ...

My Aunt Charlotte (my Dad's oldest sister) was in a pretty bad rollover car accident yesterday morning. She was driving back to California after a visit to MN for her Granddaughter's & nephew's (my first-cousin-once-removed & my cousin) graduation & to spend time wiht family. On the way home, near Sioux Falls, SD she fell asleep at the wheel, over-corrected & then rolled. Very very lucky she survived. She has numerous injuries, including- broken ankles, leg(s?), broken ribs, broken collar bone, dislocated shoulder, numerous lacerations, skin on one hand nearly gone....more, but I just don't know quite what. It could be worse, there have been no signs of brain injury, but holy cow, this will take a while to recover from. Please send your prayers her way. Thanks

Our 7:15pm screening is SOLD OUT - whohoo! And by "sold out" I mean the RSVP list is filled. That's not to say that many people who RSVP never turn up, but hopefully enough other people will come & fill those slots. It's a small theater, but who cares! People will see the film! Yeah! Still spots available at 9:15...so if you want to come & take a sneak peek - let me know!

1 - Box of Cheerios dumped all over the floor 3 - Number of nieces/nephews turning 4 this weekend 300+ - miles driven to attend the fabulous Triplets' Birthday Party (& back) 1 - radio interview given 32 - Impatiens planted 2 - margaritas consumed 7 - skinned knees, toes, bumped heads 20,385 - steps taken (post about my awesome new pedometer coming soon!) 1 - very fun weekend

My incredibly talented & creative sister pulled off a lovely "Princess & Frog" themed birthday party for the triplets today. They will be FOUR on Tuesday. What? How can this be...anyway, I digress... Not only were there lavender frosted red velvet Princess cupcakes & bug eyed frog cupcakes, there was a platter filled with fantastic green fruits & another with green-only veggies (what a great idea!). There were cake pops (need to make these!) and "Frog's Eye" salad. Green & Lavender balloons & decorations everywhere. The goodie bags were similarly fantastically themed (little frogs, crowns, wands, princess fruit snacks, etc). It was great! Dahlia & August had a great time celebrating the birthday with their cousins! Now hopefully we can all get a good night's sleep!!

Curly Slide = Pure Joy Cousins Family Bonfire Discussions (& more family) First S'mores Mr. Beautiful Blue Eyes *Other words used to describe the weekend: playground, rocks, ticks, graduation, photographs, mosquitoes, rain & did I mention family?