"What do you drink What do you read At Breakfast And I know who You are." Muriel Barbery

I am currently reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. It's one of those novels that I've had for years, started multiple times and haven't been able to get into. It is one of my dearest friends http://lacelit.blogspot.com/ most favorite books and I am determined to get through it this time. This thought about what we do when we first greet the day made me smile, does it say a lot about a person? How do they begin? How do you wake up in the morning. What is your ritual?
For my little family it is always the same. The baby starts to peep in her room (aka our room) around 6:30. Brian or I will rise, go gather the little tot and open the curtain to her older sisters room. The door curtain it's a beautiful thing. Every morning they wake each other up. Both girls will burst into the world, wide awake and excited for the day. We bring them into our room (aka the living room) put 2 stacks of books on the sofa, one for each of them, and crawl back into our bed. They read and play for 30 minutes or so. At 7 am one of us goes outside to let the chickens out. Brian makes breakfast, always. It started when I first got pregnant back in 2010 and has just stuck. Sometimes Lyra will help him make pancakes or waffles, she loves to be in the kitchen, dumping ingredients into the bowl, stirring and creating. We eat together, while Brian and I often work on a crossword puzzle together, we love you Thomas Joseph. After breakfast we make tea, roobios chai or some other delight. Then the four of us us sip tea with honey and nut milk and begin our day. It's the same almost every day and I wouldn't change it for the world.

Thought Mixer

Upon asking myself why I have 4 blogs that I never seem to update, I came to the conclusion that I needed to blend my thoughts and ideas into one larger pot. A place where I can share fabulous recipes, adventures, and the wonders of this beautiful life. So I've decided to take over this blog formerly know as "The Adventures of Natigan", and turn it into the one and only. I suppose that blogging is a bit like a public journal, a thought that frightens me a wee bit, but I realize I need to get over it. Most likely very few if any people will ever read this, nor will they really care what I have to ramble on about. Since my pen and paper journaling has come to a stand still over the past few years... happiness tends to have that affect on my "Dear Diarys", I intend to give writing a more worthy online attempt. 

That's just the thing you see, I love to write, always have. Wrote my first chapter story when I was in the Junior High, been an avid letter writing pen-pal since the third grade and have 3 novels that are off to very good starts.... but they seem to stay that way.... as good starts. I even have the beginnings of a romance novel under my belt! Don't tell my Granny. So here we have it a place to write and rant, a place to let the thoughts roll out and fly free through the ether waves. 

My beautiful 19 month old little girl is asleep in the closet. Yes, she sleeps in our closet. ​ Actually it wasn't originally a closet at all, more like a small changing room. You see we live in a pool house, it's a really beautiful pool house. My aunt and uncle live in the main house, and we've been here for 2.5 years. It's a wonderful home in beautiful Windsor CA.  Anyhow, we turned that little room into a sort of walk in closet, and when the baby was born we needed a place for her crib, so... that's where she is. We hope to be moving within the next 4 or 5 months, my papa is building us a house on my folks property. If only we could start building  today! Alas we are still waiting for the darn permits. Blah! But that's a story for another day. 

My child is asleep and I cross my fingers that she will stay that way for at least another half hour, preferably an hour. It is rough having such brief "me time" during the day. I am 18 weeks pregnant with number 2, so I know that my so called "me time" is about to be blown out the window. Pregnancy is such a wild journey, I doubt a woman is ever really prepared for so many changes and such a ride. Most of us are never really prepared to gain  a bunch of weight, no matter what the reason.​ I already miss my size 26 skinny jeans, my 113 lb version of me. But hey, baby needs more than that to nourish it's little self, so bring on the jiggle! The emotional ride is something else, unexpected scenes in movies bring me to tears, my mama bear anger starts in when people cut me off on the freeway, or when they pass me in the right hand lane (sorry folks but that lane is for entering and exiting the freeway, or for slow pokes, usually me), or heaven forbid when they don't use their turn signals! Really people, come on! But I just breathe, say my little mantra and turn up the Elizabeth Mitchell CD so Lyra and I can rock out. 

Happy Wednesday!​

​Here are the other blogs that I most likely won't be updating any further....

http://babyontherise.blogspot.com

http://thesilkmoon.blogspot.com/

as well as..​

http://lovestandsachance.blogspot.com/

Starbuck's Viper Paint Job

Hey pretty people. So if you remember my funky red paint job on the Karmann Ghia.... we've had a few changes. So Brian has been playing with a paint spray gun, he painted Pam the truck flat grey. It actually looks pretty good for a first car paint job. He took on the Ghia next and after a little thought we decided to use our love of the show Battlestar Galactica as the inspiration. So after a flat grey primer, a little frustration and some white Rustolium the Karmann Ghia is now a BSG viper.

We modeled the red stripes and the lettering after the viper. Captain Kara Thrace's viper to be more exact. There are a few more details yet to add, like the red part in the front and Kara Thrace's call sign "Starbuck" will be written below Kara Thrace. I'm not too sure how many more details we are going to add after that.

For a Rustolium paint job I'd say it's looking pretty good, we sure are going to look like a circus towing this across the country, everyone will think we are on the way to a BSG convention, I wish. I realize this is ultimatley geek-ish... but it's all good, I don't give a frack.

Time for Star Wars... again.

I have lived in West Virginia for one year as of yesterday. It has been a wonderful experience thus far, the seasons change so marvelously here. It seems we have seen the last of the snow, the birds are busy and flowers are blooming. One of my favorite Morgantown spring events is the blooming of the Dogwood trees. They bloomed just as we arrived last year and this year they have mostly all bloomed and are starting to bud out with greenery. They are such wonderful trees, gentle petals as delicate as paper halo the branches. We have several trees on the property, 2 pink and 2 white, a true song of spring.

I attempted to build a bird house and with Uncle Joe's help I got as far as the base with little bars for bird feet to stand on. In my excitement and hurry I forgot that it rains all year here and a roof of sorts was essential. Oops, It still sits downstairs in Brian's Grandpa's old workshop. A few days later however, I found a sweet little cedar birdhouse for a very reasonable price at the local Lowes. The birds are loving it! We have Cardinals, finches, Jays, and I'm pretty sure I saw a dove. It's fun to watch them, I enjoy it almost as much as Francis the kitten.

A week or so ago I decided that it would be fun to choose an actor or actress that Brian and both enjoy and watch all of the movies they have been in during their careers. ( A little ambitious, a little crazy, I know) So our first candidate is a Mr. Harrison Ford, my Star Wars nerd is very pleased with this decision.

So far we have seen 6 movies, including Episode IV. The first one was Dead Heat on a Merry Go Round in which Harrison had a brief couple of lines as a bellboy, cute. The next movie we saw, they apparently cut the scene he was in, and the following movie was really lame in my opinion, I couldn't even watch the whole thing. It was called Getting Straight. Harrison was the only redeeming part of the film. Of course he was oh so darling in American Graffiti which Brian tells me was filled in Petaluma! I kept an eye out for my mama in the back ground. Did you know that Petaluma is an interpretation of the Miwok name that means something like 'valley of little hills'? I think Petaluma is very pretty name.

Brian and I are still up in the air about what we are doing after we get married. We are trying to locate in Sonoma County, but he may have an offer in Australia which would mean a few more years away from home. That would be an adventure to say the least! He already has residency and after we marry I too can get residency. I think I'd be a bee keeper there, the world needs more bee keepers.

Spring, is that you knocking at the door?

It's 7:27 on Monday night here in West Virginia. The snow seems to be melting at last, though we have heard of possible snow storms later this week. I do adore the snow, but find that I cannot be as excited about it as I was in the start of winter. It's hard to stay indoors so much, and it's easy to say 'well why not go outside and build a snowman'..... let me just say, a person can only happily build so many snowman. I do get outside, fortunately I walk to and from work most of the week. It's a good 40 minute walk one way when the snow is deep, so I get my fair share of the forces of nature. Lately I have been dreaming about living in Arizona, perhaps tis due to a wonderful book I just finished that took place there, or maybe a little hard desert earth and sun sound heavenly after such a winter. This is the wildest winter West Virginia has seen in years, and it's the first taste of Appalachian winter for me..... leaving a rather cold and wet taste in my mouth. I haven't been able to make it to Uncle Joe's all winter, as a matter of fact the last time I saw him was Thanksgiving when he came to our house!

I recently cancelled my facebook and myspace accounts, which actually feels quite liberating. I was tired of logging in and poking around, looking a pictures, writing on the walls of friends, and just wasting time really. I want to do something great with this life not be locked into ciber world, I long to be free of the things that don't serve me or those around me. I must ask myself what good comes from this?

Our beautiful garden gate all regal in snowy white.

Thinking about moving back to CA makes me a little jumpy, in a good way I suppose, I just want to know what to do for a living. I have too many interests and too many ideas. I'll rattle a few off for you.... I'd like to write, publish a book and see how it goes, I'd like to paint murals on children's bedroom walls (I will do this), I'd like to be a forest ranger, an astronomer, a gardener, a wedding photographer, a mother (someday), and I'd like to open a daycare with Abra. Do you think I can find time to all this? I assure you this is the short version of my list. I wish a little fairy or angel would drift down to my ear and tell me where to go from here, I know it's never that easy, but a little guidance would be so nice. I also want to finish school, I'd like to get a degree in art, with a minor in Spanish, or astronomy..... but I'd really like to work with children too.... ohh what to do, what to do? I've heard I'm young and have time to figure this out, but I guess I've been hearing that since I graduated high school... 10 years ago. Yup, my 10 year high school reunion is this year! That my friends is hard to grasp. I turn 28 this year.

I am so great full for all the wonderful people in my life, thank you for being so grand. Enjoy the miraculous transition into Spring, don't forget to stop and smell the wisteria, oh man I'm going to miss the wisteria this year.

Cozied Up With the Mountain Mama

Happy New Year everyone! It's so crazy that February 2010 is already upon us! But what a wonderful year it promises to be. Brian and I had a fantastic trip to Santa Rosa over Christmas. We got to see our families, friends and go dancing!(A special thank you to Clay for throwing that impromptu dance party). It was also wonderful to announce our engagement to everybody in person. To those of you whom I didn't get a chance to see, we shall play next time.

It's still cold as can be here. There is a light coat of snow on the ground and icicles hanging from the bottom of the truck. I feel tucked away here, like I am in a little cup inside the beautiful Appalachian mountains, the mountain mama. I've been back at work, 5 days a week now instead of 6. It's rather nice to have that extra time off. Both Brian and I have been walking to and from work and school. It's a 30 minute walk one way so by the time I get back to the house I'm ready to put on the ol' snowman pjs, cook dinner and read a book! Speaking of cooking dinner, I started a new blog about being in love and cooking! Here's the link if you'd like to check it out. http://lovestandsachance.blogspot.com/

Wedding plans are slowly coming together, I'm so glad that we have time to take care of everything, and so much wonderful west coast help. It's hard to do a whole lot from out here. I am so excited to celebrate our upcoming marriage! Another bit of great news... one of my best friends Shalane, who happens to be my cousin is getting married in May. Her fiance Aaron proposed to her on Christmas Eve! I am in the wedding so we will be coming back to the West at the end of May, it will be a shorter visit, but hopefully we shall dance some and see some people. And after that..... it looks like we will be taking another road trip back across the country, and moving back to CA! We are trying to decide whether or not to take the truck again, she needs some work. We also have the Karmann Ghia and the scooter, but then we would have to figure out a way to get all of our stuff over. Ha! It will be another adventure, isn't life amazing!

Appalatian Winter

The ground is painted white this morning. It's so beautiful I can't stop smiling. Snow fell all day yesterday and on Friday night. The whole town is white. It was about two inches of perfectly powdery soft snow, I walked to work while it fell... amazing. It really feels like Christmas time now, Joellen's playing of Christmas carols in the house helps. I love it. She and Brian are bringing down the decorations right now!

I have some fun news.... on the Sunday after Thanksgiving Brian proposed to me, and of course I said yes!! I am so happy, so blessed to be in such love!

My work has been quite nice, I am meeting all sorts of wonderful people and enjoying what I do. I imagine one day I will create my own business,

or be self employed in one way or another.

Brian and I have been teaching wedding first dance lessons, and we just started to teach a swing dance class last week. We shall see how that goes.

Speaking of swing dance, a few weekends ago Gwen came out to visit, and we went to Pitt Stop Lindy Hop in Pittsburgh. It was a blast!

We had a wonderful host named Mark, who used to live and dance in the bay area. We got to go to a museum, and we saw a special exhibit that was visiting from New Zealand about whales. Beautiful whales. There was a room where you could listen to the songs of all the different whales and porpoises, very magical... Brian and I have talked about

moving to New Zealand and we have a thing for whales, so it was really special. I was so glad to dance all weekend and see the wonderful Gwen!!

Lately I have been thinking poorly of the whole facebook experience. I often want to cancel my account, but I get so caught up on it sometimes, looking at pictures, and messaging old friends. I feel like it's a waste of time and a very impersonal way to have relationships. It's a bit of an addiction, I'm sure some of you can relate. I mean, why do I need to check it everyday? Is it really that important to know that Jimmy from high school went to the mall today?

Or that the girl I met on vacation had stewed beets for dinner and posted pictures of it?? The answer is no. Once a week would

suffice. Perhaps I will exercise some self control and only go on once a week, or just cancel the darn thing anyhow. I sit here blogging and wondering if it would be nice to go 100% back to hand written letters. Ha! I do my share of that, but the Internet is such a grand thing in so many ways.

We are coming home for Christmas in... 17 days! I am thrilled! Our time there will be full, with family events, both mine and Brian's, friends,

and dancing, I really hope to get as much dancing in as possible. So if you know of

anything going on while we are home, please let us know! Happy Holidays to all! I do hope to see many of you on my Christmas vacation, and get a chance to connect. My dreams of a white Christmas have come true.