it's been a while

i realize i haven't taken the time to update this blog in like ten years. but, i've been busy. no, i haven't had 3 kids, bought a farm, and started beekeeping.

but, i have been doing things i haven't ever dreamed of. well, maybe i dreamed of gardening. but, i thought i had the black thumb. i have killed cactus. in the desert. how do you do that, you may ask? too much water. at least i learn. i signed up eagerly this spring for 2 plots at the community garden. i have visions of tomatoes and lettuce. good things to eat. it would be effortless. it wouldn't be in my yard. i would get to know the community. it is organic.

oh wow. well, i started off strong. i had 2 different varieties of lettuce, snap peas, onions. my plot mate planted carrots, beets, radishes, nasturtiums, and strawberries. we were excited. but growing organically has it's definite challenges. it sounds so good and delicious and green. but, let me tell you. it was a constant battle with bugs.

now, i'm in the second growing season-fall/winter. i'm actually loving this part. not as much upkeep. i don't have to worry constantly about water as it rains more in these months anyway. i'm growing broccoli, cauliflower, baby bok choy, 3 varieties of carrots, spinach, 2 different kinds of beets, and brussels sprouts. much of my seeds came from a dear friend who passed away last month. but every time i eat something from her seeds, i smile.

i'm also growing a new life inside me. I am 15 weeks pregnant with baby number 2. looking forward to this new season in my life. can't imagine our family growing from 3 to 4. it will be an adjustment, for sure.

i am making some changes in my parenting habits, too. i realize that i've gotten lazy and lost sight of what i am suppose to be doing with Adrian. because he is not in school yet, he is still with me all day at home. it's tough at times, but i'm learning new skills. right now, i am implementing less t.v. time. i understand it won't happen overnight. i had to say no several times today. it forced us both to either play with neglected toys, cook together, or craft together. we had fun. plus, we were able to LOOK FORWARD to the movie time or t.v. time at the end of the day. this will now take place after supper and bath. wind down time. treat. it's nice. part of what i'm working off of is The Happy Child Guide i recently downloaded from the internet. Adrian is hitting phases i no longer feel confident managing. i felt it necessary to explore other ways to communicate with him. wish me luck!

my photography business continues to grow. i feel so fortunate to be able to work from home, do what i love, and be a part of other people's lives. a new fine art project i started this year is about loss. i hit the ground running, feeling it fulfilled a deep-seated need i had since art school. but, after two of my friends that i photographed as part of the series passed away, it's been hard to get back on track. i really want to see this project to fruition, to share these people's stories. i feel responsible for that. i just don't know how to get the momentum going.

sounds like so many struggles. but i'm grateful to be a part of all of this.

creepy farm camp out

we went out to my friend's farm the night before Halloween to have a creepy campout. we had not camped since adrian was 9 months old. he truly enjoyed the whole experience,

which makes me want to do it again right away.

hot dogs on sticks, chili on the stove, s'mores made by campfire, white russians, creepy stories read by flashlight, winter hats and pullovers, kids in costume, jack-o-lantern, hayrides by sunset

in the morning, we made a huge breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, and coffee and juice. after breakfast, we headed out to the back field on the tractor to seed the field with oat seed from the wagon. the kids got to sow the seed themselves.

autumn at the gulf coast

my mother and i took a long weekend trip to the coast last weekend. it was the first

time i had been back since the oil spill had come ashore in june. my beautiful gulf coast looked exactly the way it did when i left. the waves were intense, but the skies were sparkly and calm. i can breathe so much better at the beach.

my mother and i talked about how women seem drawn to the shores of the sea. i think it's because they see something familiar in the rituals of the tides. it reminds them of themselves.

and we became heroes! we saved a baby sea turtle from a sure death in the clutches of a seagull. because of the recent full moon, i felt sure this turtle was a new hatchling making it's way to the sea and was interrupted by a pecking gull.

we set it back into the water and watched it tumble,

wave after wave. finally, it gained control of it's tiny legs and started to swim out to sea. i'd like to think it made it. but there is the oil to contend with out there...

chicken tacos for supper one night in the tradition of El Agave, one of my favorite restaurants. lots of cilantro, onion, and fresh

lime make these out of this world!

ashes to sea

So a few weeks ago, we decided to finally lay to rest my grandparents in the beautiful Gulf Coast. My mother just decided one morning she needed to do this. I really enjoyed the small informal ceremony on the inlet. Funny thing, the water was flowing back into the lagoon, not out into the Gulf. But, I think they will eventually find their way.