inkstitch

one-hundred-thirty-six pints. and counting.

All photos by Natalie...  Except this one:

On the table tonight: waffles with apricot syrup!

an amazing thing happened in the garden one day

It all started when Ian was digging weeds near the basil.  He found something.  It was very old.  It looked like a map!

It led to another map.

Which led to a place, which was hiding a box!  The box was old.  It had a rope.  It looked like a treasure.

Inside the box were secrets.  And lots of treasures. 

There was a collection of things. 

Really good things. 

Some of the things held more secrets. 

Some of the things could make us rich!

Some of the things were for sisters.

It was a great discovery.  His best discovery yet.

I bet he really will be an archeologist.

(Happy Birthday Ian!)

thirty-seven years and one month

I turned 37 last month, and whilst I was contemplating what sort of post I ought to write about that, the month went away.  Again.  Shoot, that just keeps happening.  A person who blogs now and then is still a blogger, right?  Regardless, I present 37 things from my life this year. 

1.  I love summer. 

2.  I am tan this year.

3.  Because I have spent the first half of the summer gardening and playing with my kids, in that order.

4.  I want to spend the second half playing with my kids and gardening, in that order.

5.  I really do have eleven kids.

6.  I have given birth to eight.

7.  When I tell people I have 11 kids, they look me up and down as if to decide whether they think my body could have done that.

8.  This bugs me beyond words, and I want to slap them.  Even the nice old ladies.

9.  I grew up with eight sisters and six brothers; my kids have 100+ cousins.

10.  I really like all those people; I love having a giant family.

11.  But I am actually kind of a loner; I revel in solitude.

12.  Solitude is in short supply in my very busy life.

13.  My kids gave me a kayak for my birthday.  

14.  It only has one seat.

15.  But now I have to learn to roll the thing. 

16.  I have always been terrified of water, so this freaks me out.

17.  As a child, I sometimes had panic attacks in the bathtub.

18.  But a solo kayak trip down a quiet river would be worth overcoming this.

19.  Besides, I would get great arms.

20.  I have always wanted Linda Hamilton Arms.  You know those arms she's got in Terminator?  Yeah those.  I gotta get me some arms like those.

21.  And then I should color my hair

22.  But I can't really afford a quality color-job right now.

23.  Yeah, that "afford" thing is the very reason I need hair color...  Before my whole simultaneous have-a-newborn/run-a-major-business/crash-course-retail thing, I had no grey.

24.  Now I have kind of a lot.

25.  I usually don't mind.

26.  But I will mind less when I drop ten pounds and get Linda Hamilton Arms.

27.  I typically bike, walk or just be busy for exercise.

28.  I don't like going to the gym all that much.

29.  Feeling great and having energy are much more important to me than weight.

30.  I am [generally] happy with how I look.

31.  But I'd like to be "tougher." 

32.  (Although my kids say I'm tough.)

33.  But I'd like to do a bike tour or a race.

34.  Or a nice long kayak trip.

35.  And as nice as solo is, Jonathan is invited. 

36.  I think that would be even better. 

37.  As long as I still have my own boat.