EMBRACING FALL

Since I am newly retired (heehee), and currently bored, I have the freedom and desire to accompany Chuck more when he travels for work. A couple weeks ago Chuck needed to go to Provo Utah on a recruiting trip. He has a couple of open territories in his district he needs to fill, so he was interviewing soon-to-be graduating seniors. I decided to tag along and keep him company.

What could be more autumncentric (I just made that word up) than fall foliage, turkey and football???? We got to experience all three on this trip!

It was gorgeous fall weather during our 3 days there. I got to spend a day with Dick and June Elder.  June and I did some shopping, a lot of visiting and went out to lunch. After Chuck got off work the two of us took a drive up Provo Canyon to Sundance to enjoy the beginning fall color, which was lovely.

While driving through Sundance we came across a herd of about 20 wild turkeys wandering through the woods and across the road.

The highlight of our trip was attending a BYU football game. BYU is Chuck's alma mater and he is an avid fan.  Unfortunately, this was the game that their star quarterback Tayson somebody (you can tell I'm not a real fan) broke his leg about halfway through the game and BYU lost to Utah State- a huge rivalry. I don't think they have won a game since. It was a fun evening, not as cold as we were expecting, even though it was a very late game, not starting until 8:30pm due to ESPN coverage. At halftime they retired Jim McMahon's jersey, so there was a nice ceremony with him and Lavell Edwards. It was easy to get swept up in the excitement of the game even though not the ending we would prefer.

UNOFFICIALLY RETIRED

I have declared myself unofficially retired. I am no longer raising children, I no longer have my dog business, in fact I no longer have any dogs of my own or any plans to acquire any (sigh). Actually no pets of any kind, no dogs, no cats, no rabbits, no guinea pigs, nothing , nada, nil, zilch.

I still have long term hopes for my garden art, however it is a very seasonal endeavor, and I haven't quite found the right market for it.  Friends that see my art seem to really like it, and it sells very well at my garage sales. But, as yet, I don't know the most efficient way to reach the RIGHT customers.

 

It is such a great creative outlet for me and so fun to do.  I would probably continue to do it just for my own garden. I love each aspect of the project, from combing the aisles of local thrift stores to search for interesting pieces not really knowing beforehand how they will be used, to lining up all my supplies and figuring which pieces look good together and in what order to assemble them.

I would love to find an endeavor to keep me occupied, but getting an actual job is problematic. At this stage in my life I want to travel a lot, and I have opportunities to do so. So every couple of months it seems I am leaving for a few days to a week to travel to Idaho to visit grandbabies, to Utah to visit Dick and June, to Hawaii, Mexico, etc.  An employer isn't going to put up with that, even with a part-time employee, and I am not willing to give up the chance to go. Even most volunteer opportunities want at least a 6 month commitment.

So it is time once again to reinvent myself.  To find a way to create, learn, serve and be useful while still allowing the freedom to travel.



  

SO LONG, FAREWELL, ITS TIME TO SAY GOODBYE

The end of summer is always a bittersweet time for me.  I love the warm weather and spending so much time outside.  In fact when the sun is out, I can not stand to be inside the house, I just HAVE to get outside. Which is part of the reason my garden is so important to me. It gives me a legitimate reason to go outside and be productive.

But I love my garden for other reasons. It allows me to nurture which is a basic requirement of my personality.  Without kids or pets around, it is one of the few ways I can satisfy that need.  Even my bird feeders play a role in my need to nurture.

 

However, I also love autumn weather and the fall colors.  I love wearing sweaters and snuggly clothes. It is a thrill to have the first fire in the hearth for the season and make the first pot of soup.

 

 

It is time to say goodbye to the lake and paddle boarding

 

 

And time to say hello to fall color

 

and hot chocolate (not that I don't drink that year around- but it just seems so much yummier this time of year)

 

 

 

 

FAMILY UPDATE

Chuck:  In his job as a sales manager for a pharmaceutical company, things are never static. He manages 11 sales reps over a 4 state area.  New drugs are always coming onto the market, new marketing strategies being implemented, new people being hired and trained to replace others retiring or being moved into management, and territory and district boundary lines are forever being redrawn. I don't know how he keeps up with it all. He continues to enjoy riding his road bike 30 miles or so on sunny days, and on a trainer inside in inclement weather. The two of us continue to each the Marriage and Family Sunday school class at church, which we really enjoy. The principles we teach surely help our marriage more than the people that attend.

Shelley: Enjoying being semi-retired (from child raising, seminary teaching and dog walking) and trying to convince Chuck to retire as well. I enjoy making my garden art, and am always looking for new ideas to add to my list of creations. I seem to cyle through working on my glassware in good weather, and crocheting rugs from recycled materials in cooler months. Caring for my garden is sustenance to my soul- literally.  I find myself in my garden every day there isn't a torrential downpour. By this time of year there isn't a lot of work left to do but watering and deadheading, but it is still necessary for me to get out there and commune with the humming birds and bees and just admire the beauty of it all.  Then there is my bird feeders that need attention so I can be facinated by the variety of wildlife out my kitchen windows. Chuck and I have started stand up paddle boarding this year, beginning with taking lessons when we were in Hawaii in January. We have continued all summer and are really enjoying it.

Jared:  Continues to live at home and attend Bellevue College. He works at Crunch which is an exercise facility in the Crossroads area and gives him the opportunity to keep in shape. He missed his girlfriend Ujong when she went back home to Korea for the summer break, and is glad she has returned for the fall semester.

Becca: Is also living at home after graduation from college while she saves money to attend grad school. She is working as an aide at a physical therapy clinic to accumulate the clinical hours she needs to apply to Physician's Assitant school. She loves to bake and is frequently taking goodies to work to share with coworkers.  She has been bit by the stand up paddle board bug as well, but she takes it a step further and gets out in the middle of the lake and does yoga on her board!

As a family, we have enjoyed the gorgeous summer weather of the northwest and the opportunities we have had to travel to see family and friends.

 Although it is sad to say goodbye to warm weather, I adore autumn in the northwest and the beauty it brings.

LOVIN' LEWISVILLE !!

After Education Week was over, Chuck and I drove up to Idaho to visit Rachel, Nate and the kiddos.  Chuck had not seen their new house and I was missing the grandkids big time.

We had a really fun week. Chuck brought his road bike on our trip, so between exploring the countryside by bike, helping Nate with his home improvement projects and playing with the grandkids, he was able to keep himself entertained.

When our children were small Chuck often give them rides around our yard in the wheel barrow.  He and I continued that tradition with Evelyn and Douglas.

I, on the other hand got to do all the things I love to do: play with the grandkids, garden, play with the grandkids, go hunting through thrift stores and estate sales, play with the grandkids, go looking at houses and property for sale and go to the lake and paddle board. I even scraped and sanded the railings on Rachel's front porch and then painted it with her and Evelyn's help.

 Every day I also got to play with the two new kitties they got as barn cats to keep the rodent population down on their three acres. One is a very young mama cat, and the other is her 3 month old kitten. They are both pretty friendly for barn cats and will come out to play when ever they see people. And Surprise!! The mama cat was already pregnant with another litter when Rachel got her, so they will have more kittens in about a month.

It was hard to leave Idaho behind, but I am always happy to get home and sleep in my own bed.

EVERBLOOMING FLOWERS

Staying with the Elders in Draper during our Education Week experience gave me the opportunity to give June some ceramic flowers I had made for her birthday in July. The flower on the right was already made and June had seen it on my blog or business website and mentioned that she really liked it. I set it aside, meaning to give it to her.  Then exactly a year ago when we stayed with them for Education Week last year, just as I was starting my business, June  bought 6 plates she thought I could make into flowers.  She pointed out one plate design she especially liked.  The plate was blue and yellow, which I always think of as "grandma's colors". So I made a flower for her from that plate as well.  It is the one on the left.

I know that my creations are durable in Seattle's temperate winters.  It will be interesting to see how they do in more extreme weather.

EDUCATION WEEK

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On Sunday right after sacrament, Chuck and I hopped in the car and took off for Utah to attend
Education Week at BYU. This is probably the 6th or 7th time we have attended over the last 15 years.  It is a 5 day experience of attending classes which inform, enrich and uplift. We have taken classes on retirement financial planning, how to experience joy in the mundane things in life, how to be a better parent and grandparent, and lots of classes on improving our marriage, build relationships with others, and listened to Elder Bednar talk about and encourage us to use social media to promote wholesome, encouraging messages to our friends.

There are other enjoyable things to do on campus, as well.  The campus art museum currently has an exhibit showcasing the original costumes worn in many major motion pictures. We saw the costumes worn by Johnny Depp and Kiera Knightly in Pirates of the Carribean, costumes from Sense and Sensibility, the one worn by Anjelica Huston at the prince's ball in Ever After, those worn by Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes, Minnie Driver's costume from Phantom of the Opera, etc. There were so many, and each one more exquisite than the last.  They truly are works of art. We were also lucky enough to watch one of 3 premiere showings of a new full length motion picture made by the church called "Meet the Mormons".  It is a documentary featuring 5 different Mormon families around the world. It was touching and inspiring and I whole heartedly recommend it to all when it is released to the general public on Oct 10.

It is fun to spend this time together as a couple, learning new things, being inspired, being challenged to become a better wife, parent and grandparent, member of the church and the community.

PETER RABBIT OBSESSION

Becca's best friend Carly is having a baby and  the two of us were thrilled at the prospect of throwing her a baby shower, which we did last weekend in her mother's backyard.  Carly picked a Peter Rabbit theme, and Becca and I kinda got obsessive as we planned the event.  Becca did all the food (which was AMAZING) and I did all the decorations.

The venue was the White's backyard which is huge with lots of grass and trees, centered around their large vegetable garden, which fit perfectly into our theme!

It turned out to be a pretty warm day, so some last minute adjustments were made.  Originally, we were going to set up on the deck, but because it was in full sun, we moved it down to the lawn and the fire pit area which was a lot more comfortable with a lot of shade.

Carly is loved by all, she had about 40 people attend.

To decorate, I took scenes out of the book and made little vignettes here and there on the lawn:

And of course, I had to dress the part as Mrs McGregor!

The bunny banner that hung around the garden was a particular labor of love.  Each bunny was different, with his own personality.  Some were chubby, some skinny, some perky, some bored, and one had been in a skirmish with a coyote and had a chunk missing from one ear! Each swag of the banner was tied up with fresh carrots and radishes.

Because of the size of the yard (the house sits on nearly an acre) I filled in with some of my own garden art for punches of color.

A sweet side note: I decorated the buffet tables with ceramic bunnies and larges baskets of vegetables, most of which came from Juli's (Carly's mom) and Leann's (Carly's aunt) own gardens!


The star of the show was the brunch Becca created along our theme:

The menu (all prepared by Becca) included mini spinach, ham and swiss quiches, mini carrot muffins, mini chocolate zucchini muffins, mini banana cream pies from Grandma June's recipe (Carly's special request- it is her favorite!)-

Becca also made mini strawberry and raspberry cheesecakes by coring the fruit and using a pastry bag to stuff them with cheesecake filling, then dabbing the tops in crushed graham crackers. There was a fruit garden with flowers on stems made from melons-

 

And what garden doesn't have a few pesky caterpillers?

 

There was also a spinach salad and a fruit salad brought by friends to round out the offerings, all with lavender Italian sodas to drink.

 

There were two large tables laden with food which all vanished by the time the shower was over- literally not a scrap of food remained!

 

 

Becca and I had so much fun, we are looking for a reason to throw another party!!

LAZY LADDER

The ladder was lazy because everyone refused to use it due to it's rickety condition.  It was destined for the dump until I saw a way to incorporate it into my garden from a post on ( where else?) Pintrest.

My lazy ladder is now a stairway to birdie heaven.

You can't see it from the front, but besides the planter boxes on the rungs, I also planted a clematis under the ladder which is using the ladder as a trellis growing up the back and is currently almost to the top.  When it comes into bloom the entire ladder will be covered in magenta flowers.  It should be spectacular!!

THE POWER OF PEONIES

How is it that just the sight of the peonies growing in my garden can make my mood soar? Is it the promise that warm sunny weather is on the way? Or is it just the color and fragrance that lifts my spirit?

There is something about a garden that is good for the soul. Tending a garden is such an optimistic endeavor, it involves faith in the future, and anticipation for tomorrow. It is the ultimate in long-term gratification.  Nothing you do today in a garden (except water) will show any improvement by tomorrow, it takes time to reap the benefits of your labor.

Show you believe in tomorrow, plant a flower today.

A NEW ENDEAVOR !!

What an exciting day- in so many ways !! 

 I was really nervous for my first day at the farmer's market. I had no idea how long it would take me to set up everything (canopy, 3 tables, and all my wares and decorations) by myself and make sure no detail was overlooked to be ready for customers. I wanted to get there early so I had plenty of time to get organized then let myself relax knowing I was ready, so I could greet customers confidently rather than all flustered.

However, my day took an unexpected turn when I woke up at 5:30am to find Chuck moaning and groaning next to me in bed.  He had gotten up to take a shower and get ready to catch a 7am flight when he had an intense onset of chest pain, with sweating and nausea. Yikes !! Over his protests (typical guy) I drug him to the emergency room to get checked out. So we were there for several hours while they did and EKG, x-rays and blood work.  Apparently Chuck was right all along because they found nothing wrong (thank goodness!!) and said it must of been indigestion???? Good grief.  Well, at least now I had someone to help me set up, because he had definitely missed his flight to California and decided to take a sick day.

The side note to all this: I had mentioned to our home teacher on Sunday when he came to visit that I would be setting up all by myself on Tuesday because everyone else would be at work. He surprised me by showing up at the market early to help me set up only to find me not there.  What a sweet man! Not only that- but he waited around for quite awhile waiting for me to show up.  I felt so bad for inconveniencing him, after all he has a job to go to as well.

So after a frazzling start my day got under way.  I got to the market and set up in plenty of time and got to enjoy meeting all the other vendors and chatting with people all day.  The weather cooperated by not raining.  It was the opening day of the market for the season so there weren't a lot of visitors, which actually was nice for me so I didn't feel overwhelmed.  I had lots of positive feedback for my garden art.  People thought it was unique and creative. I only sold 2 items, but at least that covered the cost of my market rental space for the day. I have been told as the season progresses it will get much busier, so I am hoping I will sell more in the future. It was a positive experience and I am looking forward to next week.

 Just without all the early morning drama.

MOTHER'S DAY REVISITED

Mother's Day was a lot of fun this year.  This is me enjoying a sunny day while Becca was whipping up dinner on the BBQ. Jared gave me this giganto card and a cool potted plant that is now enjoying an extended life on the front deck in one of my chair planters. Becca gave me a gift card to Starbucks so that I can have my favorite hot chocolate every Monday morning after our 6am spin class.

 Rachel, Nate and the kiddos sent me a gorgeous bouquet of tulips (my favorite flower).

Thanks to all my darling children for remembering me, and thanks to my darling husband for all those darling children.

HUMP DAY

Sam has officially passed his one year mark in the mission field. He is enjoying his mission and excited to continue the work. He is still in the northern part of Indiana in South Bend working with students from Nortre Dame and St. Mary's College. He has realized over the past year that he enjoys using his outgoing personality and people skills. He is wondering if maybe he should consider a career in sales, rather than mechanical engineering. He knows that school is a long way off and he has plenty of time to consider those kinds of decisions.  Right now he is fully committed to the Lord's work.  He gets to Skype us on Mother's Day!  We are all so excited to talk to him.

MARKET MADNESS

I have been accepted as a vendor at my first Farmer's Market ! I have been thinking about doing this since last fall. It started after I had a garage sale and sold a ton of my garden art.  There are about 10 different Farmer's Markets in King County.  There are multiple ones on Saturday, but also you can find them every day of the week but Monday. 

I am starting with the market at Crossroads Mall here in Bellevue on Tuesday afternoons. It runs the end of May through September.  This was a good pick for my first venture because I already had a Bellevue business license, so there was no additional expense.  Plus it is close to home, has only been in existence a few years, thus not horribly crowded so I won't be overwhelmed as I try to figure out what I am doing.

The markets are all "juried", meaning you have to submit pictures of your product, and in some cases bring in samples to be evaluated by a jury to determine if it meets their standards.

When I made up my mind last fall to jump into this new venture I was hoping to hit some of the fall craft shows, so I went out a bought a really nice 10'X10' canopy that has the canvas walls that Velcro on in case of inclement weather.  However, the fairs were too soon and I didn't have enough material to sell to warrant the entry fees.  So my canopy never made it out of the box last year.

I have been making things all winter to build up my supply looking towards a summer start date, however, Becca and I went to Costco last Saturday and noticed that the farmer's market at the Pickering Barn across the street was already up and running, Yikes! Time to get serious!!

I have spent this week putting my booth together.  Getting the canopy out of the box and learning how to put it up and take it down all by myself (it is HEAVY), getting some display tables, table cloths, making pots to display my totems that go on stakes, filling sand bags to weight each corner of the canopy (required by the markets) so that a gust of wind can't blow your booth around and cause damage to other vendors.

A lot of my garden totems go on stakes in the ground so I needed to figure out a way to display them.  I had some large plastic pots I wanted to fill with sand and put the stakes in- but the pots were chipping and ugly.  First I tried to paint the pots, which I did last fall, but unfortunately the paint just chipped off as well.  So I came up with the idea to cover them in fabric.  The pots needed to be heavy enough to support the totems without tipping over, but not so heavy I couldn't lift it in and out of the van.  My compromise was 6 inches of sand in the bottom, then I filled the rest up with that expanding window insulation foam.  After it dried I covered the top with moss.

I also needed to figure out some table decorations to go with my garden theme, so I made this topiary, it's a little crooked, but doesn't look too bad from a distance.

I wanted to set out all my product to see if I had enough to fill up my tables and decide how to arrange everything.  Chuck thought I was nuts to drag box after box of glassware out of storage, up the stairs and outside, knowing I would just have to pack up everything and put it away in an hour or so. But I am a visual person, and I had to see my booth all put together to feel ready. It will save me time in set up at the market to already know which table to place things and how to arrange it.  I don't want to get there and have decisions to make. Once I set up everything my tables were full and attractive.  Just knowing that gives me confidence I am good to go.

Once I was all set up Jared and his girlfriend Ujong came home and perused my wares.

I am looking forward to this new adventure!