i'm anemic royalty, i'm so tired, i can't sleep...

  Yeah dudes, I totally used Nirvana lyrics for a title. It's cool, I do live in Seattle and it's so fitting cuz I am anemic in a major way! Phew! Kind of glad that's the deal because I have been feeling so damn weird! Super tired (plus insomnia!), depressed, paranoid, tingly fingers/toes, dizzy spells, etc... I should've realized the signs sooner (I was vegan-and a pretty terrible eater-from age 10-23 and was anemic pretty much the whole time) and then I started freaking out because my lips and self seemed paler than usual (I am pretty pale anyways...) and nearly talked myself out of my wonderful island getaway... I went to the Dr. yesterday and ended up crying and telling him "I'm so stressed out! I'm pretty sure I have anemia or maybe diabetes or my thyroid is acting up or something cuz I feel awful!" and I got a total blood panel done and everything looks good but I am soooo anemic and I have been eating vegan (and not being the most healthful about it) for at least the last 6 months or so. It's hard juggling all the food sensitivities (plus my own ethics about eating animals) and things I should avoid and still end up with a nutritionally balanced diet. I am working on it. And I am swigging molasses out of the bottle w/ sips of Floradix and drinking Catnip/Nettle tea. Please, my herbal sisters, lend me your advice about natural iron boosting ways!
  So let me talk more about my happy weekend, still dreaming about my magical overnight vacation! It was dark on the journey over...

   I love this! These little conks (I think that's what they're called...) growing on this stump, look like steps up to the fairy tower.

   See! Proof. I do have another child! But he's a teenager and either at school, with his friends or doesn't wanna be photographed much.  He loves nature (and peering over semi-dangerous cliffs and running on hillsides).

 In the evening the sunset was huge and crazy beautiful.  It looked like the sky was a golden, pink and blue explosion.

   Today, I felt so impatient and bored listening to a few different city folk go on about this person or that job or some other yuppie b.s. today. I just kept thinking "I went to a wonderful island and it was amazing!! I don't care about all this junk!" sigh...
  Tomorrow the sun will be shining and I'll be attempting more chicken introductions. Part one of flock expansion did not go well. Sadie (the big bully) pecked rather soundly on my favorite chick, Raven's, head.  Raven stuck her head close to the fence and Sadie's beak snuck through the fence in a flash! I'll be putting up a temporary divider in the chicken run for the little ones to be in.  They are so naive though and I'm afraid they'll stick their little heads through the chicken wire and get whacked... I guess they'll learn not to do that. I also think I might need to get a dog kennel for Sadie in case she needs to spend some time alone getting used to the idea of four new sister hens... Oh chickens. xo m

dream of spring

  Today was such a wonderful bright, and warm day. It really felt like spring and we were able to get outside, fix the fence (it's been falling apart for so long) and take a peek around the garden. The rhubarb is already starting to poke out! I'm hoping the warm days continue because the yard needs a lot of picking up and things need to be done now to get ready for early planting.
  I can't wait to have access to fresh food that's waiting just outside the back door. I still have a tiny bit of greens growing but they've been mainly a treat for the chickens.

   We've been eating sooo good! I've been true to my regime (with only a few minor slip ups- a glass of wine on occasion, and a coffee or two in the last few months) and it feels good to be vegan and staying off gluten and refined sugar (ok, there has been a secret dark chocolate bar living in the kitchen cupboard for the last week).

   My little assistant. She LOVES beads and jewelry and all my tools. I still can't find my wire snips or rosary pliers. She hid them.

  Sewing, making, organizing and curating my vintage inventory.  Working on my herbal products tomorrow. It has taken me forever to get my packaging, labels, stamps, tape, etc etc... I finally have nearly everything in place and look forward to adding some special treats to the shop... February is gonna be good! xo m

breakfast-lunch-dinner

  Summer days are slip sliding away. Our forecast says this week will be HOT right into the weekend and it's been really lovely weather so far. Thank you Seattle for giving a bit of sweetness before the endless rain starts!

  And I finally made a decent gluten free pizza the other night. That is a big deal! It was Bobs Red Mill mix. Happy back to schooling (if you do that), I'm a bit bummed... xo m

there will be food...

  The quality of the food I eat now is just a million times better (and fresher) than ever before. It's really important to me that we eat nourishing fresh, (mostly) animal free, non-processed foods... And fancy foods are good too... Vosges chocolate is sooo very delicious! Sweet and salty and perfect.  My friend took me to the store in Chicago and it was heaven...

 We usually end up at Red Mill about once a week. The guys always want a burger fix. I'm in it for the sauce. They have this smoky mill sauce (just a chipotle mayo) that is amazing and the fries are good. I get a veggie burger which is a regular garden burger but the sauce makes up for it... It was so exciting last week because it was their anniversary and Papa won a free meal.

 love, love these two...

 And... A new quilt! So pretty and it was crumpled up in the back of Uncle Donnie's Jeep being used to cover up stuff!! I saw it and he said I could have it if I gave him an old sheet or something to cover up his junk. um, ok! I washed it and it's in perfect condition and the loveliest little squares of printed 30's & 40's fabrics.

 date night chandelier...

 Wonderful Thai food lunch combo, this sweet thai grandma makes at her family's cafe.

  The new raised bed is growing. Here's a view through the fence. Now we're off to run a bunch of errands and pick up new orders from the library. yippee! I also really need to find a few models. My shop is neglected and Big Brother is on vacation with his Dad so no one is home to take pics of me... Oh my. so much to do... xo m

sunny spring!

    We've been lucky enough to enjoy some good sunny days here. It seems that the sunny ones have began to outnumber the rainy ones. Everyday, the chicks roam the yard and they've been (for the most part) sweethearts about staying out of the garden beds, I think they're learning...

   My guy dressed as Jesse James for his historical biography project. My dad, whom I haven't spoken to in years, claims we are related. hmmm.

   Happy chickens make lots of eggs. We've been eating so so many.

   Here's  a blurry picture of a recent thrift score. I love the purple and orange color combination, so simple and perfect! It was a good day at the thrift.

 crumble... mmm.. so good! from that book. Heidi Swanson is a food wizard for sure!! Get the book if you need a little more magic in your kitchen.

 rhubarb season...

   Is it cheating to use my iphone to take pictures? My digital camera is my work camera and I have more fun with the iphone, plus, then I can leave the camera at home... what do u think?
  Hope the weekend was lovely. I'm fighting a cold or something.I went to bed at 8pm last night! I had hoped the colds were behind me now. sniff sniff... xo m

sowing seeds...

  We are immersed in our version of spring. Rumored to be the most frigid in ages. I refuse to accept that. I will just keep thinking spring spring spring and sooner or later it will warm up and stop raining. Right? It can't stay cold forever....

 Our neighbor, Katherine, gave us a bunch of rhubarb roots and they are starting to grow (no thanks to the chickens!!). I guess you aren't supposed to cut the stalks the first year, they need to work on getting established. But Katherine's Rhubarbs are out of control and she said I can have some whenever I want. I made rhubarb apple sauce.

 Domino is laying in the potato patch. It's a good warm spot when the sun is out. Our raised beds are pretty much full already and I haven't even planted half of what I wanted. I planted a lot of herbs and flowers, that are coming back, last year. This week we'll be building at least 2 more raised bed. I want to do one all herbs and greens and another for squash and beets... I need to order a truckload of soil too.  Next week is gonna be busy... Grandma get's in tonight too. My little lady's birthday is on Sunday and Grandma rides the train up every year.

 The beans and peas are finally starting to climb up and grow. We didn't have much luck with them last year but I put them in a different spot and I think the soil is better.

 This was a few days ago and already they're twice as high!  The herb beds were/are such a mess. Weeds and grass growing everywhere. I spent so much time on my knees weeding. See that board? I have to put boards and upside down pots where we planted carrots, otherwise the cats use the fresh little patch of soil for their litterbox. As soon as they start coming up I can mulch around them with old chicken straw to hopefully discourage more weeds.

 ooooh. Baked Oatmeal!! Soooo delicious! From Super Natural Every Day. Wow. This kids did not like it as they are oatmeal haters in general. The grown ups ate it all up...

  Now we are off in search of a few party hats and some last minute ingredients we need for the gluten free caramel cupcakes we're making tomorrow morning. Happy Friday! xo m

the sun was shining, then the grey rolled in...

  It's so easy to wake up in the morning when it's light outside. The pitch black mornings are gone until next winter. It makes it easier to stay away from coffee... Usually, not today. I had espresso, we met up with friends in the morning and it was so delicious...

  Guess who got a brand new boater? Me, yes! After years of searching I stumbled upon this one, brand new, at Nordstrom. I was afraid to look at the price tag, but it was only $28. It's a bit different than the traditional style, mine is a bit more of an open weave, but I LOVE it! Today was sunny and warm enough for no sweater and a straw hat, at least for a few afternoon hours. It was a blissful dream...

 I got to sneak in some alone time with my guy and had a little treat time too. So, my cleanse starts Monday. In all seriousness. I need a little time to "mentally prepare" (meaning, eat a lot of treats/drink cocktails at a friends b-day party at a fancy bar...). I have willpower. I can do it. Really and truly. Right? xo

ps: the cheesecake was a little disappointing and I only ate half.

monday, monday...

  Try as I might, I was unable to get my thrifting mojo on today... It was a trashy day of "wares" (this means pile upon pile of toys, kitchen junk, and electronics ugh!) down at the olde junk factory. Oh well. But, I think, I did stumble upon the most perfect ever EVER flannel! I got a few flannels for my shop and after washing them (I have become so sensitive to smells and um, afraid of bedbugs-that I have to wash everything-even items I'm selling) realized that one (yellow and blue in the cart below) was pretty sweet... We'll see. I'm wearing it tomorrow.

   I was all geared up to start a good detox cleanse. I've been wanting to for weeks. I follow Miss James of Bleubird vintage on twitter and her ongoing cleanse is encouraging. but. but... we always get ice cream on Monday after school and I couldn't talk my little miss out of it. And, do you have any idea how impossible it is to sit in an adorable ice cream shop where they dish out the cadillac of ice creams, air heavy with the perfume of waffle cones being made, and not have a single bite?? I couldn't resist sharing my babes scoop.

I just finished reading Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui and WOW. It was just the kick in the pants I needed to continue and accelerate my spring redux. I suggest than anyone who i an avid thrifter and prone to um, collecting, get this book. It made me look at items with a clearer perspective. Today i worked on my fabric nd sewing area. i c=got rid of several project that I never want to finish. All you sewers out there understand how big the project  pile can get. It was bad, mine was pretty out of control. It felt good to let those things go. The things I kept are in a mall pile right next to my machine and if they don't get fixed this week, they're gone too.

Some sun today and then  super healthy dinner or Quinoa, steamed broccoli, sauteed mushrooms and shallots and grilled lemongrass tofu. So so good. At least no one complained at dinner, I liked it.

  We spent some time in our old neighborhood (Capitol Hill) on Saturday, just running errands and walking around with friends and it actually made me miss it. We're only 4 miles away now but it seems like we're much further than that.
  I was really good about staying away from the coffee today (yippee) and I've been tired all day so maybe, just maybe I'll be able to drop off to sleep soon. Happy Monday! xo