simplifying things

I am a bit out of sorts.

Scattered.

Overwhelmed.

Disappointed.

So, I stopped and looked for the simply things in my day.

And enjoyed them.

Like, a nap in the middle of the afternoon.

Like trying a new recipe for meat pie, complete with homemade pie crust.

Adapted from The River Cottage Family Cookbook.

A great, simple and interesting cookbook.

Comfort food.

Like hand cream on the windowsill waiting patiently to be used...

after the dishes are washed.

I need a dishwasher.

Like stove popped popcorn with a healthy dose of olive oil in the pot...

like Rancho Gordo popping corn.

Simple.

Easy.

Tasty.

...

Tonight, the kids and I played Uno and we started reading a new book,

The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles.

Have you read it?

...

Not so simple...

it is nearly 10 pm and the laundry is still drying and the oven is half way through the "clean" cycle.

Manic cleaning is not simplifying things last I checked, 

but cleaning is better than eating.

I started counting points again.

Jude's Second Recital

Jude had a recital on Sunday. 

Pretend you were there!

Little Oink, by Amy Krouse Rosenthal - The Trailer!

I took the kids to SF to meet Amy Krouse Rosenthal.
Jude was able to help read Duck!Rabbit!
The kids each chose one of Amy's books...Jude chose "little Oink" and Delia picked "Spoon".
Clever books.
Get yourself to a bookstore and pick up a few up new books.
Go!
Get!
Scram!
See you back here on Monday!

zoom

The weeks are zooming by.

zoom, zoom, zoom.

I forgot to report on our annual trip to UCDavis for Picnic Day.

This year we made it in time for the parade but spent most of the day roaming the campus and missing the major events (dog races, goat milking and wine tasting), but we did cash in on free plants and yummy ice cream.

We were given a hands on tour of a plant pathology lab.

Thanks Dr. Pye.

Our future scientists.

Someday, when they are slaving away on their PhD's, 

 I will send them these photos to remind them of their early days.

A horse skeleton.

A cool horse barn on a sweltering day.

Of course, we ended the day at our favorite Davis haunt, Dos Coyotes.

The best shrimp burritos EVER!

Skip ahead to the next weekend, which was really last weekend.

Oh, how the weekends blur together, especially since here we are at this weekend already.

zoom

zoom

zoom.

We spent Saturday in Bolinas, a seaside town outside the Bay Area.

An afternoon spent walking about town, playing at the playground and helping with a bbq party for John's club.

A great day spent with great friends.

On our walk about, our friend "won" a TU-IT.

A clever handyman's business card.

A round tu-it.

As in, when you get round to it!

Clever.

The world truly is full of clever folk.

More cleverness.

A boat, turned kitchen to inspire kids and the community to eat local.

See, I told you!

Oh, the beauty of Marin.

...

I've been a bit off this week...scattered, busy, frantic, worried, you name it, I likely ran the gamut.  A few unknowns were settled...Lucy's tumor is benign and we finally made some decisions about Jude's education next year. 

 There are many unknown still lurking...John's job, buying a house and summer plans.

...