Peach Coglo

Weekending~March 25, 2012

Joining Amanda for weekending . . . .

 

It was a wonderful one.

My mother gave us the birthday treat of live theater!

While my parents watched the kiddos (thank you!), Greg and I went to see Ma Rainey's Black Bottom in Boston.  After wandering around the Prudential Center lost for a second, we made it out into the night air and down the street to the theater.

The performances were spectacular.  We saw an actress, Joniece Abbott-Pratt, that we saw last year in another one of August Wilson's plays, Gem of the Ocean.  Wilson's work is incredibly powerful and can be difficult watch at times because he relates pain in such a skillful and poignant manner.  He also portrays life's joys and silliness too.  It was amazing.

Oh and talk about range, Yvette Freeman was tremendous.  You may remember her from the show ER.  I never really realize how limiting these hit shows can be for actors, until I see them in live theater.  Wow.  Not to harsh on ER or anything, but I can see why, as an artist, she left to do other things.

We celebrated Greg's birthday (the first go-round as his birthday is tomorrow) with a wonderful  dinner made by my mom and a fruit tart.

I finished knitting my last felted ball.

I made a decision to push through the exhaustion and paint something everyday, no matter how small.  I am almost done with my color exploration charts as a result, and I am feeling calmer about getting my hands on my brushes.

And to top it off, I saw an inspiring documentary about a man and his topiaries-no joke.  If you get a chance, watch it.  It is unbelievable the art this man created.  He was 70 when the documentary was made.  I promise you will be inspired.

How was your weekend?

Moving Earth

Joining Amanda at the habit of being for weekending. . . .

It was a whirlwind, this weekend-too fast, as they all are

Hansel and Gretel was our movie of the week.  It was delightful.  I was surprised to see David Warner and Cloris Leachman.  She was quite entertaining as the witch.  This version did away with the stepmother angle and people kicking the bucket.

Saturday I went to WEBS with some friends.  That place is insane.  I had my project notebook with me; it helped-a little.  I was wayyyy overwhelmed by all of the yarn (discounted too) goodness at this place.  Holy macaroni.  There was all kinds of yarn: Noro, silks, wool, wool blends, pretty much whatever you want.  I got some yarn for projects for myself and for the kiddos' birthdays.   If you go, have your list of projects and necessary gauge information (something I forgot here and there).  I urge you to go if you can, but just make sure you have your lists and a lot of time.

After the yarn mecca, we had dinner in Northampton- a quirky and fun town.

I finished a felted ball; now on to the next one.  I also found some more delightful Easter projects-we'll see.

Sunday was incredible.  We spent most of the day outside, prepping the garden-chopping, raking and moving earth. I did take a minute to go buy some CowPots.  You can probably guess their contents.  I think I want to try them with our watermelon and pumpkins since neither plant likes to be transplanted and our growing season is so short.

I ordered a much needed Willow tree, and came a few steps further in deciding what stays and what goes, and which plant goes where.  I do enjoy this Spring ritual.  Speaking of which, the Vernal Equinox is only a day away.

We took about an hour away for the kiddos' Meditation First Communion program.  We all enjoyed the hour even though we had to stop our gardening to go.

Then Greg grilled some burgers and we had our first picnic dinner outside.  It was a chilly one, but it felt great.  We probably looked a bit strange plunked in the middle of our front yard, but oh well.

There was even a little bit of time left over for some Shaun the Sheep and Fat Albert viewing.

Here's to weekends.  How was yours?

The Flower Show

We have been visiting Elizabeth Park a lot lately.  It turns out they have an annual flower show and sale.  I am glad we caught it this year.  It smelled like heaven in the greenhouse.  I wish I could magic that smell into this post, but oh well.  I hope you enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Tuesday!

Curious George Exhibit

The huge Curious George banner outside the exhibit.

Over the holiday break, we took a trip to the Norman Rockwell Museum to check out the Curious George exhibit.  We wanted a pretty laid back holiday and tried to not travel around too much, but this exhibit was too much to resist.  It was close and I wasn't sure the kids would ever get to see original art and manuscripts by the Reys.  I love looking at original artwork and seeing the original work, and sketches from the Curious George books was intriguing.

We learned so very much.  The kids were enthralled and really hung in there, actually studying the exhibit and looking closely at the details.  I tend to linger over museum pieces studying details too so I was happy to see this.  It's a bit easier to explore museums and their treasures when people aren't clamoring to go and are happy to observe the rich details.

I didn't know the Reys had to flee the Nazis, and I was unaware that they traveled so much.  It was intriguing but so interesting to see their passports, telegrams, art journal/diaries and New Year's cards.  There was also a pop-up book exhibit.  My favorite was The Pop-Up Book of Phobias.  Really people.  It is a bit subversive.  I mean all anyone needs is a clown or spiders popping up and out at them.  There was also a cool version of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.  The museum also hosted a few pieces by David Macaulay.  Book and art awesomeness . . . .

I can't show you any photos from inside the exhibit due to copyright laws, but I got a couple of shots outside the exhibit.  If you live nearby and get a chance, you should go.  The exhibit ends February 5th.

  Doran was the only one to brave meeting George.  I was happy to see this was the old-fashioned George  from the 70's.  You know the one.  I still have my stuffed George-tucked safely away from my children.  Sorry guys.  He was one of my absolute most favorite toys.

Blurry photo of the fam going in.  I am pretty sure this is legal.  To the Powers That Be: Please don't arrest me.  This was a fabulous exhibit and I wish I could show you more.  Seriously if you can, check it out!  There is a lot of inspiration and dreaminess to be found.

Happy Thursday friends!

Clowny Break

I'm taking a break today so I can hopefully stop panicking and spinning around in circles.  At the flea market on Sunday, I found lots of old toys-some from my childhood.  I remember dragging this clown around at preschool or somewhere.

See the Jalopy Clown-how happy and relaxed he is.  Then again if you look long enough you may have nightmares.  Well it is almost Halloween.  Happy Tuesday!

At the Orchard

This year we picked apples and pears.  The pear-picking was at Elijah's request.  Boy am I glad he suggested it.  They are exquisite.  We had to hike a 'fer piece' on kind of a sideways incline to get to the Ginger Gold apples but it was worth it.  So on tap for today, find the apple peeler and make some applesauce.  I am thinking a possible apple/pear mixture.  Hopefully everything turns out well. 

 

Have a great day!

From Peach Trees to Peach Jam

We managed to pick some White Lady peaches the other (that is kind of funny name :) and they finally and thankfully made it into jars yesterday.  Let's hope they took!

In the peach orchard, there is always a little "eeww" factor-fallen peaches and the animals that love them.

And then there is the freakish but fascinating fungi.

Love the end result~peach jam and peach pie filling!

A Walk in the Woods

As many of you know, I don't do well in heat, especially really hot heat.  I also don't have the best of relationships with mosquitoes and deer flies.  Add to that, I have a husband who likes to hike at the drop of a hat.  I like to hike - but only in the most perfect of conditions.  Since the most perfect of conditions rarely exist and I would miss out on so much by waiting, I am trying to adapt.

The other day, Greg announced, "Oh we should go for a hike."  I am eyeing the laundry, the dust everywhere and literal upside down feeling/fear of absolutely-nothing-getting-clean in-the-house.  Then I think about the bugs.  Then I think about how I would kind of like to go so maybe we should.

After scampering around the house trying to find appropriate summer hiking gear.  We weren't hiking the Adirondacks mind you, but I am person that needs to be prepared.  Thin long-sleeved shirts and pants are necessary in bug and heat season.  Realizing that we are taking along four children also dictates some preparation.

So we hiked and it was fun (until the bugs got really thick).  We saw tiny little frogs hopping across the trail, rock formations, fern, mica, mushrooms, creeks and all sorts of things to rock the imagination.  It was bliss until I spotted four Godzilla-sized mosquitoes hovering around Doran.  Then I saw them everywhere as our bug repellant was wearing off.  Then it was time to go.

All in all, I enjoyed it and I want to venture out more.  It's great for my spirit.  I love the quiet (well semi-quiet) and adventure.  After listening to my concerns, Greg also agrees that yes if we want hikes to be a family thing some prep is required.  That very evening I purchased bug head nets and an emergency medical kit, you know important stuff like that.  For more advice, you can check out Heather's blog over at  Unplugged Sunday.  She has lots of great thoughts on how to prepare for hikes with the littles.

Some kind of super-freaky, X-Files plant whose name I forget. . .

Just one of the fallen logs that blocked the trail here and there . . .   It was while crawling over and under one these that I got the idea for the medical kit.

So now I am open to the idea of more hikes especially since there will be some prep involved.  I have instituted an all-hands-on-deck cleaning session for Saturday mornings, or whenever the house needs it.  This system does a lot to rid the Cinderella feeling one can get around here.  I also found an awesome pattern for kleen kanteen cozies that I will share with you later.  Soon the outdoor merchants will be hosting sales.  I plan to scour them for the little bit of stuff we still need, like my fantasy, super-cute wide-brimmed hiking hat.  I hear it holds up a bug net well.

Have you been pushing yourself out of your comfort zone lately?  If so, I'd love to hear about it.  Have a great Tuesday!

 

Weekending ~ July 17 2011

Today I am joining Amanda at the habit of being for her Weekending series.  You wanna know why I am joining today, on Tuesday?  Well I hit publish yesterday and nothing happened.  At least I think I hit publish.  Summertime brain.  Thanks for the "heads-up" Mom!

This weekend was full of summertime doings.

The kids camped out in the backyard-again

We took in a spectacular and local fireworks show

It felt a little like what some folks call "the old days" sitting out in a high school lawn watching the sky

Next time I should bring a blanket.  This is the second time I have forgotten to bring one to a fireworks show

I was feeling very grateful for the moment, cradling the littlest in my arms watching colors explode in the sky

I couldn't believe that she actually fell asleep with all of the commotion and excitement

There was a spontaneous hike to this interesting place

I survived thanks to bug spray and a keen eye

Greg agreed with me that if he wants some spontaneous hikes with four children, then there needs to be some appropriate gear and planning in the mix

Later that evening, I took a trip to the store and bought several of these and thought about buying this and these for myself

Sunday was pretty unplugged with a trip to the beach

We had a little bit of forsight and packed some goodies that the kids actually ate

Everybody returned completely happy and wiped out.  That was a great outing

The beach is always so restorative, plus there are no bugs

Luckily Greg had enough energy to make some blueberry cheesecake ice cream

After days of begging to make it, take a guess at to whether the beggars actually ate it.

 

How was your weekend?

Weekending ~ July 10 2011

Joining Amanda today for Weekending . . . 

This weekend was nice and slow

I was actually struggling trying to find something to do with our hours besides clean, though there was a bit of that

We didn't have to go anywhere or do anything.  It was a little scary and exhilarating to have all of the hours stretching before us.  However, I knew they would be gone in a flash

Saturday we kind of knocked around the house a bit

I mailed off my postcards for the Liberate Your Art postcard swap.  You know there are a lot of customer shenanigans at the post office

Then there was a trip to the library to pick up more summer reading sheets for the kiddos

Thanks to Greg there was a surprise trip to the UCONN Dairy Bar.  I swear they have the best ice cream.  The sky was bright and blue and a soft breeze blew all around us.  There is always something energizing about a college campus

It was a beautiful ride to the campus.  I was able to knit in the car on the way there and back

There was another evening spent knitting with girlfriends.  The time hanging out is so much more important than how much knitting we do

There was much Connectagon playing

Doran just about mastered riding his bicycle.  Turns are being made, but there is still some complications around braking. ;-)  At Helena's suggestion, we celebrated and toasted his accomplishment and newfound freedom

The kiddos and Greg camped out in the backyard again

I received my first mosquito bite.  I was very insulted.  That insect was so stealthy.  I can usually feel and sense their presence.  I get a little paranoid about them because I welt up so badly when bitten.  I count myself lucky for being able to avoid a bite so far

Sunday we Greg built a compost lean-to and weeded while I decluttered shelving

Elijah found a deceased squirrel in our garden.  That boy actually tried to argue me down about how he should be able to touch it.  He was convinced they aren't potentially dirty like mice and that he had a method for detecting squirrel disease-the fur would be orange

I don't know what is going on in our backyard.  It's like some sort of animal horror show back there.  First we found a flurry of blue jay feathers then a few days later a poor squirrel.  As much as squirrels and I fight, I still felt badly for it

We meant to hit a flea market and have the first meeting of our writing club and go to the carousel, but we ended up going to the carousel and giving everything else a pass this weekend

How was your weekend?  Have a great Monday!