Overwhelmed

Have I really not posted for a week? Wow! That doesn't seem possible. I must say that lately I have felt just overwhelmed and in dire need of a break. A break from the demands of everyday. Chores, errands, self-imposed expectations. There is much to write about:

1) Old Red Barn Co. news
2) Mark placing 4th in his latest adventure race
3) A Round Robin quilt that I'm starting with new friends
4) The garden
5) A book that I really loved

And many more. Just not today.

Today is for sharing some of the things that center me. Give me peace. And, remind me not to get worked up over things that I cannot control. (my greenhouse escapes, my favorite flower beginning to bloom, photography)

Making da' soap

I've been busy, busy, busy making soap. My supply has been down for such a long time that I have to make a ton just to catch up. This particular batch is an unscented goat milk soap with oatmeal and honey added.

This year I'm going to be adding to (and subtracting from!) my regular soap scents that I sell. Perhaps you would like to help me name a few? Here is what I'm planning on:
Blackberry Sage
Bulgarian Lavender
Eucalyptus Spearmint
Cinnamon Apple Peach
Oatmeal Milk & Honey
Lemongrass & Sage
Mountain Morning
Sweet Orange & Chamomile

Now the ones that I need help naming are:
1) one masculine, musky smelling one (so far I have come up with "Soul", "Musk" or "Man Soap")
2) this one smells light, sweet and faintly like cotton candy-ish. But not really. I would never make a soap to smell like cotton candy . . . I'm just trying to give you a sense of what it smells like. Any ideas for a name?

How about this? Come up with the winning name for these two types of soap and I'll send you a free bar of each? Ya? Sound good? Come on! Help a poor girl out!

And don't worry Mom & Kim, I have some Coconut Lemongrass with your names on it.

Scrub-a-dub-dub!
dana

Trip to the Zoo!

What a perfect day it was for a trip to the zoo!

Happy Earth Day! We are going to pick up litter in our neighborhood. Gotta run.
-dana

19th Place in Adventure Race!

A few days ago I talked about my husband's team competing in an adventure race. Well, it is official. They placed 19th out of the 100 teams that entered!!! I'm so excited for them and you just KNOW how pumped they are. Mark is racing again next weekend with two different team members that he has never raced with before. I look forward to talking with him after that race because they should perform very well.

For the record I would just like to say that I'm glad that Mark has something that he enjoys so much. He has the endurance, physical ability and the sheer will to be an elite athlete. He has found a sport that combines all of the physical challenges he loves with the mental challenges that feed his soul. Being lost in the woods in freezing rain with blisters on my feet, cuts on my legs and hands, and being eaten alive by mosquitoes is not my cup of tea. But, that man loves it. He is so much, does so much and endures so much for this family. I'm extremely grateful that he has found something that is all his.

Way to go team!
dana

Prayers

My prayers are in Virginia. The tragedy there is unthinkable. I grab my daughters' hands a little tighter today. My prayer is for peace and hope to each person so deeply effected by this act of evil.
-dana

Twice in One Day?

I've just started going through some of the photographs I took while in Savannah. I wanted to share some of my favorites.









Just looking at them makes me so happy!

Also, I had to post to talk about Mark's race today. He does adventure racing. Click here to find out what the heck I'm talking about. His team's first race of the year was today in Blue Ridge, GA. Adventure racing is not a spectator sport. The race itself can last hours, days or weeks and there are no bleachers to sit and watch. So, the girls and I waited at the finish line for several hours so that we would be sure to see them cross it. We were not disappointed! In the cold pouring down rain they came running toward the finish line looking tired but healthy. We don't get to see many races since they can be far away and long in duration . . . but I sure wish that we could be there for more! Such a cool sport with neat people participating, supporting and watching. We tapped our toes to some great ragae music and enjoyed the afternoon outdoors. Mark will be sore tomorrow but he better recover quickly because he races again in a week! Way to go Mark, Jason and Tina! Can't wait to see the official results!

Now go get some rest people!
dana

Back Home

We're baaaaaaaaack!

What a wonderful Spring Break we had down in Savannah, GA. Fishing, swimming, boat rides, beach, shopping, eating, playing, swinging . . . you name it and we did it. What a blast! I'll post lots of pictures later today or tomorrow.

The absolute best part about the trip was spending time with Nana and Papa.



You are so good to me and my girls. Thanks for everything. We had a wonderful time.

More later.
dana

What is thrifting you ask?

After my last post I got several emails asking what I meant by "thrifting". Oh my word!!! Thrifting is a sport for me. This is how it goes:

Get in car. Drive to first thrift store. Stroll around looking for pretties. Buy them if you see them. Get back in car and drive to next thrift store.

Now there are variations on this general game. I mean I rarely pass up a yard sale and I have been know to frequent live auctions and estate sales. And, if there is a flea market within a decent distance you can bet I'll be there.

I'm a seasoned veteran. I've been obsessed with this sport for at least 10-15 years. You wouldn't believe the amazing things that I have found for my home doing this.

So, I figure I will fairly regularly post pictures of some of my cool thrift finds. These pics are what I found yesterday.


Paid $1 for all three of the wall art. They look beautiful in my aqua bathroom. :)


3 pairs of old wooden shutters. Mark calls them dirty. I say they have a nice patina. It is all in how you look at it. At $1 each I just couldn't say no. At least 2 will probably end up a part of my booth when I do art shows. Maybe a shelf of sorts. Or, they would be super cute on the playhouse Mark is planning for the girls. Or, they would be nice as an office organizer system thingy. I even thought about bringing them to the 4th graders and challenging them to make something useful for their classroom. We'll just have to see.


3 old Ball canning jars. Love these things and have bunches around. I have button collections in them. Old wooden spools of thread. They make the greatest flower vases. I'm fairly certain that these are newer rather than antique because of the eagle on one side. I'm thinking they were made in the 1970s. Who knows. I just love the color.

Well, I know some of you were looking forward to the clogging video but I still haven't been able to get the darn thing downloaded. I'll keep trying. I love technology when it works but when it doesn't I get as mad as a hornet. I'm a bit like my mother.

Finally, just two more pictures from today. New flowers are blooming everyday and I love to go out on my posie patrol and check them all out.


What a gorgeous and delicate flower. It's called a "Bleeding Heart". Too bad it blooms for such a short period of time.


Can you see the spider on the tulip? I'm not a big fan of bugs but I thought this was a neat shot with the spider in it.

Speaking of not being a big fan of bugs, did I tell you about our encounter with a snake over the weekend? Mark wonders why I'm afraid of snakes and always tells me one thing or another about why we are not going to see any. His reason this past weekend was because it is still just a bit too cold at night and mornings for the snakes to be out yet. Well, there we were as a family planting blueberry bushes when a little snake comes slithering right between the girls and I! Aaacckkk! Good thing we had shovels! This will not be the last time you hear about me and snakes. Nearly every time I'm in the yard it seems I see one. So far I think they have always been the non-poisonous ones but we do have timber rattlers and copperheads in this part of the country so I'm always on the lookout. Mark calls me "snake charmer". Ha- ha. Very funny honey.

Tootle doo,
dana

Technical Difficulties

The girls had clogging today and I brought the video camera to record some and post the video here for all you city slickers that don't know what clogging is. Umpfh!! After many frustrating attempts I could not get my computer to recognize the device to allow it to download. I've done it before but for some reason I couldn't today. Maybe it'll work for me tomorrow.

Went thrifting today and found some great things. I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow so you can see all the goods.

Next week is spring break and we really need it! A change of scenery will do us all good. Soooooo looking forward to seeing you Mom.

Check in tomorrow. Hopefully, I have the video up. If not, at least some photos.

--dana