We went to the ocean. That is my husband and son. Waaaaaaaay out there where the waves were breaking. Isn't the sparkle fabulous? We had the most gorgeous weather, it was so warm the ocean was almost tolerable. Almost.

xoxo~

Abbie

I love our pansies.. unfortunately so do the chickens, and the moles. Oh, and also the chipmunks. 

I took these photos a few short days before all of my pansies were decimated. Completely destroyed by edible flower loving critters. But, as a consolation.. I have set the Have a Heart trap and caught two moles thus far.  Something else they love? My lillies. :(

Hoping you and yours have a fabulous weekend!

xoxo~

Abbie 

Can you tell what I have been up to? I took the kids strawberry picking the other day. We picked 15 pounds of berries in about 20 minutes. Phhffeww! That was a lot of berries! After a lot of boiling we ended up with 25 +/- pints of jam. Mind you, 15 pounds of berries didn't yield all of the jam, there were ohter berries from other days. We have already gone through 2 jars.. jam doesn't last long in this house. A staple breakfast for the girls is organic peanut butter on organic whole wheat bread with jam. PB&J. My mother used to say I was going to turn into a PB&J sandwich when I was a child, I ate them so much. That and jelly filled donuts. I could slam down a six pack of jellied filled donuts in one sitting. Yum. Ooo... I also love jam on my pancakes, with lots of butter. Hhhmm.. and on Brötchen with a bit of cream cheese.  Time to go see what I can now dig out of the pantry as I have made myself hungry.

xoxo~

Abbie

Have you been looking for me? Nope, I'm not in there...

You might catch me brief amidst my threads as I did get enough creative mojo to sew two skirts up for my daughters the other day.

Although my mind is here.. in the soft grey sand searching for starfish. Our destination this July for a week. I can. not. wait.

I am trying to wait patiently, but it's just not happenin'.. my mind is all over the place.

honest to Pete, I think I have Creative ADHD. Seriously. Sometimes I jump in with both feet and am completely lost in the process of making things, and other times, like right now, I have absolutely no interest in any of it. Crochet, knitting, photography, sewing, painting, collage, digital work.. bah! right now I have no need for it. No need for it? Hhhmm.... it is almost as if my creative endeavours are my counselor, therapist, and that I suffer from sort of seasonal issue. When the sun is shining and the warmth calls me out, well.. I just don't need to be here anymore.

Soo... for now I am hangin' with my peeps.. relaxing and trying to enjoy this very fleeting summer we are having here in New Hampshire. Once school ends in a few weeks I think every week is scheduled. Good scheduled, but scheduled none the less.

Isn't that photo sooooo cute??? those baby robins are hilarious! lol! I love their laid back, relaxed look.

Hhhmm.. sewing photos, Maine ocean photos and baby robins all in one post. Yay.. it has to be Creative ADHD. Has to be.... 

xoxo~

Abbie

I have been quite lost in the everyday to-dos lately.

Three of these shots are from the Enfield Shaker Village in Enfield, NH. The collapsing barn is located in Rumney, NH.

I love stone. Stone that has been carved, formed, either by hand or foot. Especially cobble stone streets. I love wood.. inparticular melting buildings. The kind that are slowly falling back into the earth.

If you need me I'll be planting our veggies, off on field trips and sitting in my folding chair at baseball games.

xoxo~

Abbie

If Alice used a bottle it might have just been one of these...

Although, the tall one with the looking glass says 'Violet' and not 'Alice'. That is exacatily what I was thinking.. wrong movie.

 Was anything she drank grape flavored? Perhaps it was put in this tiny bottle of glass grapes.

Whichever she used, I think she would have kept them had she been able. They are all so tiny and precious... but when you are only 3 inches (it is such a dreadful height after all) it would have been quite difficult to carry one.

I feel as if I have fallen into a tiny bottle and am floating off into life somewhere. Perhaps when I wake I'll rejoin you..

xoxo~

Abbie

I went for a drive yesterday and came across an old magnolia tree. It is early for them to be bloom here.. but spring has come about 3 weeks early this year. It is a very welcomed thing, a small blessing for us in New Hampshire.

The image above I submitted to the Pioneer Woman's Photo Contest. You can see the tens of thousands of entries on here, on Flickr. Now, I am being practical when I say I know it won't get chosen, but it is amazing to see some the photos that are submitted! Damn, there is nothing like professional photographers to let you know that you are not a professional, just a novice :) Ree is so good at weeding through the junk and picking some amazing finalists. I would highly recommend you take a jaunt by and peek around. Just wonderful eye candy! Of course, by the number of entries and visitors, you have already been there!

xoxo~

Abbie

“When I can look at Life with eyes,

Grown calm and very coldly wise;

Life will have given me the Truth,

And taken in exchange - my youth.”

~Sara Teasdale

Thank you for the emails and comments in regards to my last post. 

I'll figure it out.. someday. I'd really like to find that one thing that is me, but the more I try, the more facets of myself appear.

Did anyone see the History Channel show on the Shroud of Turin? It was on yesterday.. I'll have to order the DVD. It was most interesting and thought provoking.. there I go again.. something else to confuse and bewilder me.  :)

xoxo~

Abbie

Do you ever feel like you are trying to fill shoes that just don't fit? I feel that way quite often right now as I am struggling with what I want to be when I 'grow up'.  Could I stay at home and continue to be a domestic engineer? Yes. Can I go back to school and finish my degree? Yes. Could I keep doing this? Yes. But I'm really struggling with the fact that I'm not really helping anyone. I'd like to help design homes for Habitat for Humanity, design business logos for newbie business owners for free.I want to feed the hungry, clothe the homeless, stop Global Warming, reduce my footprint. I want to exercise more, and eat less. I need to drink more water. I want to help keep our water clean. I want to leave a mark on this world that will remain long after I am gone. I want my grandchildren to tell stories of my life to their grandchildren, and speak of me with pride and fondness.  I want to fill MY shoes. But which pair?? How do you fill them all, when there are so many to choose from? To be a role model to my children of all that they can accomplish in life, of all the good that they are capable of and yet be home when they get home from school... these are huge dialogues that have been going on in my head. I thought perhaps if I vocalized them, organized them just enough to get them out, that perhaps something might jump off the page at me.

I'll let you know when it hits me. Any thoughts? I'd love to hear. You guys always have some of the best life advise to share. One thing I do know. There won't be anymore kids. My minor surgery a few weeks ago took care of that. :)

xoxo~

Abbie

PS.. the image is of my daughter trying to strut her stuff in my only pair of heels.