kindred spirits

this post is dedicated to our friend renee, who loved to travel (vicariously) with me on my adventures. i loved her company and she'll be dearly missed. she'll be leaving this world soon as this life as she knows it is coming to an end. bless her beautiful heart. safe journey my angel kindred friend.

i invited my eldest daughter to come with me on saturday, up to the small town of arroyo grande. there was someone i was hoping to meet at a special antique sale & book signing.

here we are, at branchs farm, i am sure the weather couldn't have been more beautiful, the sun was shining, the birds were singing, people were smiling...

we looked around, me enjoying more the scenery than anything else. after our recent rains the hills and fields were green and lush, spring feels like it's arrived...

this pile of books represents heaven to me. this is why i came almost two hours (although i would have come four, to meet this kindred spirit, author and illustrator...

Sharon Lovejoy!

what a thrill for me to meet her and her husband, that's Jeff standing behind her. I've been collecting and reading Sharon's books for 19 years now. that's when her first book, Sunflower Houses:Inspiration from the Garden first came out. She's recently released her seventh book, Toad Cottages & Shooting Stars. another gem i treasure.

there is no one that's inspired me more in gardening and watercolors, except my own granma rose. and i am so happy to say that she was even more charming in person and i didn't think that was possible if you know her books. this was one of those days that i'll never ever forget.

thank you sharon, i can't wait to meet again someday! until then i know we'll stay in touch via blogging, if you'd like to visit her go here. (see my new scarf?, finished, well, it still needs blocking!)

susan branch was there too, and many of her books and patterns, stencils and calendars. i met her also and although she was lovely as well, it was brief, there was a long line!

we'll leave the farm now and go explore the town of arroyo grande...

we stopped for fields of blooms...

and antique stores...

we walked (tentatively) over a swinging bridge, with a running creek below...

we went to farmer's market. at one booth my daughter kimberly and i stopped to admire tiny watercolor paintings, all of different scenes of the central coast. a couple was there also asking the artist about the various locations. he said your not from around here are you? they answered no, we're from winnepeg.

winnepeg is renee's home.

my daughter and i had just had lunch and i told her about the latest news with renee and her own daughter angelique. we both had tears as i shared what i knew.

when not an hour later we heard this couple say winnepeg, kimberly and i both stopped. and hugged. and i am sure i saw all the trees and flowers sway suddenly in the wind as if they knew and she knew she were here with us. and i had tears again.

after we crossed the bridge we found yet another antique store, i could keep this up all day, but i wanted kimberly to enjoy it too, she said she was, so on we went...

"be careful with the words you use, they create the world around you" a native american saying i love. isn't this a sweet and simple sign?....

more beauty everywhere, in thoughtful displays...

and soft fabrics nestled in baskets...

new blossoms appearing on a painted sky...

and funny chickens and roosters that mind your business on the streets of this town...

thank you for coming with kimberly and i, now it's time we started making our way home, safe journeys to all of us...

♥ happy sad lori

(i can't seem to leave off the back to the beloved ocean going home photo,

however blurred and an antenna filled it is.)

girl's night

last night was girl's night out! friends of mine that own a gorgeous shop, had an after hours, ladies only night. the invitation said : it is a gathering of amazing women, friends & clients, and a hand-picked group of talented service professionals who will be offering up a taste of their services to each of our guests (you!). Each guest will have the opportunity to spend 15 minutes at 2 or more service “stations”, which include a fabulous facialist, two masseuses (one Thai and one Swedish), a tarot card reader, an astrologer and more. Iris de Santo, one of our favorite jewelers, will be showing her gorgeous and well-priced jewelry as well. So, please join us for a special evening - kind of a mini-spa night with a splash of mystery & fun, lots of laughs & good food too!

i chose the thai massage and the tarot card reading. what wasn't mentioned was all the flowing prosecco champagne, hence, all the slightly (slight understatement too) blurred photos! heehee, if i had remembered to take photos at the start you would have seen all kinds of happy laughing faces, massage tables and service stations, lovely fruit and cheese plates, cupcakes! but i was having too much fun to think of my camera.
thank you christie and diana! what fun!

i hope a girl's night, in what ever form, comes soon for you too,
♥ lori

tasha

for every cup and plateful,

God made us truly grateful.

a.s.t.fisher

i am so grateful to my dear friend for giving me this tasha tudor mother goose book yesterday. when she showed me the signed copy she discovered, she didn't know about my collection of tasha's books (above are two of my tiny favorites). my heart jumped when i saw it and then when she handed it to me i almost fainted. i am completely giddy with excitement. and gratefulness. the story is that many many years ago this woman (colleen) owned a book store in santa barbara. tasha tudor came in and signed this book.

incredible.

do you have a special signed book that you treasure too? please tell...

so many of you liked the yarn i wrote about last time, i wanted to let you know
you can find some of sally's beautiful hand spun, hand dyed wool here in her etsy shop.

she's a brilliantly talented knitter, spinner, quilter, crafter (and more) and she's a lovely person with a lovely blog too.

now i'm going to find the perfect place for my book. :)

♥ lori

soap, shawls and snow

so much happened last weekend that i didn't fit it all into my last journal page. and heaven knows i like to remember. here is a shawlette, i've cast on, which can be worn like a scarf, with the points in front, i like that. (picture a big triangle).

i am knitting with the most beautiful wool i've ever used. it is so special to me because it was sent to me by my friend sally. she spun the wool and hand dyed it using plants and flowers. i wish everyone could feel it, it's scrumptiously soft and light. and the color. oh my.

when it's finished i'll try to photograph it outdoors so the colors will show to their best. the pattern is one i found on ravelry, it's called gaenor. i'm using a size 6 needle and praying there will be enough yardage or this is all going to come undone. cross fingers for me please.

here is a photo i wasn't sure i ought to put up. what you see is our city's attempt to bring fun activities to town. it was called "snow much fun" and "snow" was dropped onto a grass area and lots of children came out to play. it was 76 degrees last weekend. do you see the shorts and sandals? i can hear some of you groan, but many of these kids have never seen snow before. i thought it was funny and sweet. and i thought of you and how you would gladly donate your snow.

and finally, the most exciting thing happened! owen had his first bath! his grandparents and auntie came up to meet him and his auntie (my sister lindy) who is a dog groomer brought all her doggie stuff and gave him the best treatment. see how cute he was? not scared at all, well maybe a little but he tried not to show it. i think he was mostly embarrassed because he had such an audience.

there was my sister, my mom, stepdad, hannah, chuck and i all surrounding him. poor baby. lindy told me to get him used to the hairdryer, but i didn't do such a good job since he was most afraid of that. but it was all over soon and since it was so warm and pretty out, we finished up his spa treatment outside...

oh, owen....

you really are mr. fluffy pluffy poopie pants now. heeheeeheee.

♥ lori

on the farm

my favorite quilt~yarn shop here in carpinteria received a very special delivery, alpaca wool, from locally raised and bred alpacas right here in our town. oh my gosh this yarn is gorgeous, so soft and fresh, the first few skeins i bought even had a bit of leaves and twigs in it. i am totally charmed. i wanted to meet the alpacas.

i wrote the address of the farm down hoping to get the chance to visit it. today while running errands with my daughter i was telling her about them and their wool, then curiously my car began driving the back roads looking for the farm and the alpacas...

i am sorry my photos are so uninspiring, it must have been my excitement and haste, we found the farm and alpacas (and horses and squirrels) and i was too busy looking at our surroundings, it was gorgeous up here. the view of the pacific ocean in the background with the channel islands in the distance made my knees weak. and then there was the farm which was set on twenty acres of serene beauty. it was so quiet we could even hear butterfly's.

then we saw the alpacas. again, not great photos of these beautiful creatures. the owner of the farm told us alpacas are gentle, shy and curious. when we got out of my car and began to walk towards them, they all, over 150 of them, turned to look at us. notice the two in the background watching my daughter say hello to their friend.

then they all walked away, the shyness set in. we didn't want to overstay our welcome since we had not made an appointment to come out, so we left after a few minutes.

and then they came back to say goodbye! we were so excited to find this place which turned out to be a short walk from our house, hopefully i can return again and again (with permission). the farmer said we could even have our own alpaca and board it here....

i wonder what little owen would think of that?

p.s. i feel i have to apologize for all the sunshine and green, i know so many are still under inches of snow. it is so warm here, today after a run on the beach, my daughter and i had to cool off with a jump in the ocean. well, someone had to do it. :)

♥ lori

like crazy

once upon a time there was a girl who believed that true love was only meant for two. until she learned to love herself and found love, pure and real, was meant for anyone, even her.

then she found a boy (he says he found her) who gave her the key to his heart, and she him, (in the form of an antique gold heart charm bracelet, with a real working key! that she hardly ever takes off). and they found that love gets celebrated every day, in big and little ways, not just on one february day, although that's fun too.

love yourself, love someone, love like crazy.

love to you my friends.

♥ lori

full

my weekend was full to the brim, not even counting puppies and kids. i took long long walks, through the marsh and the beach and back home again. it rained and then stopped and the sun came out and made everything sparkle. and shimmer. puddles on the way like stepping stones to guide me. once or twice making the necessary testing of the splashability of the water. half way hoping it would start to rain before i got back home.

then, impulsively but not quite, because i had been thinking about it, i slipped my hair into two braids and snip sniped off a bit. or more. turns out i cut ten inches off. gulp. ! . well, miraculously that is exactly what locks of love requires. so it was the right decision, right? as my dear friend geli says, it is good to take a decision and then do it. i have to say though my husband chuck was a bit shocked when i came out of the bathroom holding up my braids, one in each hand. and my hair just a wee bit crooked.

i finished my scarf too. blocking is a real challenge now since owen likes yarn more than anything else on earth. much to my dismay. i need either a bigger table or a gate. or maybe he'll grow out of it?

then, my daughter and i made a big pot of soup and a loaf of bread for sunday night dinner. our guest of honor was her friend here all the way from wisconsin. we had on the super bowl and he tried to watch it. but i think he was having more fun looking out of the corner of his eye at sadie and travis and owen rolling around on the ground and at kimberly and i in the kitchen.

yes it was a very full weekend. i finally got the children to bed (they are spending the night here tonight),they want one last kiss and cuddle for owen, one last request for a drink of water and finally can we hear "night mantra" and "it's a big world", one more time?

yes darlings, how could i say no?

these words are for you...




♥ lori

like a daisy

" at my feet the white-petaled daisies display

the small suns of their center-piece,

their---if you don't mind my saying so---

their hearts."

i want to be like a daisy.

let's all be daisies and display our hearts.

♥

from Daisies,

a poem by Mary Oliver

i hope you all have a wonderful sunday and the sun comes out (or goes away) and daisies start popping up soon near you . love, lori