Two

"How gentle is the rain

That falls softly on the meadow,

Birds high up the trees

Serenade the clouds with their melodies

Oh, see there beyond the hill,

The bright colors of the rainbow.

Some magic from above

Made this day for us just to fall in love."

~ A Lover's Concerto by The Supremes

Two years ago, on July 26th, I walked down the isle to the above song as Jason Kendall strummed and gently sang with an acoustic guitar. To say the day was magical and special and full of love would serve as a serious understatement. The day was better than anything I ever imagined and probably the only day in my entire life where I really felt pretty. I loved that day.

From the start, we knew that our wedding would reflect us, and in typical C & C fashion, we planned our day. It was very non-traditional and that's how we wanted it.

Allow me to give you a few of the details. We invited 30 people and 28 attended. That was it. Neither of us was interested in putting on a show and participating in the typical chaos and cookie cutter wedding scene.

I didn't wear a veil-- it seemed rather "Halloween Costume-ish" to me.

He didn't wear a tux. Please. Chad-o chose khaki colored linen pants and an ultra sophisticated mint green button down.

Three tiered wedding cake filled with chocolate gnash and raspberry preserves? Um, no thanks. Individual strawberry shortcakes? Yes please.

And, if you're wondering if we had all that crazy dancing or did the Hokey Pokey, we didn't. Rather we had a calm served dinner with an open bar.

Oh yes, and at breakfast, on the morning of our wedding, as we sat in an ultra posh restaurant, Chad-0 dared me to stuff a blueberry up my nose. And, you know what? I did.

So this year, as we celebrated our second anniversary, we dined at our new umbrella table and enjoyed some scrumptious strawberry shortcake. Oh my, it was beyond delicious~ a palatable wonder, for sure.

And, as the sun went down and evening set upon us, we lit some candles and talked and reminisced and laughed and played with our puppy.

The hood is home and Gumdrop World does exist. I get to spend forever with my person and that just puts the whip cream on my shortcake.

Xo, Ninja. Thanks for being you. Thanks for being mine. Thank you for us.

Local Beauty

"You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestation of your own blessings."

~ Elizabeth Gilbert

After a rather long day of not feeling too well and practicing a fair amount of mind-over-matter and self healing, I packed up my camera and went for a ride through the scenic countryside. A local field trip, if you will.

Oh the amazement! The dancing light on the stage of nature proved a most beautiful sight.

A Refreshingly Delicious Equation

"Coffee smells like freshly ground heaven."

~Jessi Lane Adams

LC= Leftover Coffee

(My morning was a bit hurried.)

I= Ice

LC + I = Yum!

For The Outdoor Adventurer

"It is in the compelling zest of high adventure and of victory, and in creative action, that man finds his supreme joys."
~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Knitting orders have consumed my life-- and I mean that in the most wonderful way. I love making something and thinking about how the little babe will look in one of my creations. It's beyond fun to shop for new yarns and notions and dream up creative ways to make something crafty and unique.

As I was making these for baby Ripkin-- how awesome is that name?-- I pictured them being on a stylish and adventurous little tot. You know, the kind of baby whose family would sling him into one of those ultra-hip backpacks and go for a nice long hike and picnic in the woods.

I really get way too caught up in my thoughts. Geez...

Baked Green Tomatoes

"Tell me what you eat, I'll tell you who you are."

~Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Last night I made these baked green tomoatoes for dinner. Delicious they were.

I like sticking to simple, natural foods. Since I've changed my ways of eating, I've noticed how much flavor foods like carrots, cucumbers and tomatoes actually have. It makes me sad to see others heavily salt their dinner or pour katchup over their potatoes. Taste the flavor, I say!

Yesterday, as I was organizing some drawers, I listened to a report about how today's children are the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents. I thought about that, and as much as it pained me to agree with the reporters, I found myself in their corner.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not perfect and I love the occasional chocolate chip cookie or strawberry sunday or slurpee, but I also understand the value of being active and making my heart pump and my sweat glands produce. I'm sad that I very rarely see children outside riding bikes or playing hopscotch. I have yet to spot one game of freeze-tag or hide and seek this summer. Darn video game systems.

Alas, I'll do the best I can with the special people in my little corner of the world. We'll keep eating healthy, locally grown produce. We'll enjoy the random sweet treat. And, we'll keep after that whole active and exercise thing.

The body is amazing- it deserves to be taken care of. Think of how badly we treat it, yet how it continually recovers and fights for us to live. Wow.

Six = 42

"Dogs are our link to paradise. They don't know evil or jealousy or discontent. To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring- it was peace."

~ Milan Kundera

Our little fur-face turned six yesterday. Six or 42. I suppose it depends on how one looks at it.

I often think about how the cards in life lined up so that I was chosen as Charlie's mama. It makes me sad to think of what her life might had been like had she not landed a spot with Chad-0 and I.

Who would have raised her?

Where would she have spent her afternoons?

Would she constantly have hugs and nuzzles?

Would she have a soft golden pillow and a Stevie Santa Bear toy?

I'll admit that there isn't a single time I'm on the couch or at the computer or cooking dinner when Little Peep isn't right there, too. It's a very gratifying feeling-- to be so loved and wanted by a furry little critter.

In honor of her birthday, I made her the sweater in the above photo.

She kinda likes it. Wink.

Grammy also brought her some treats and chewies and got her the coolest card.

We sure ruff our Charlie T.

Happy Makers

"If you want to be happy, be."

~Leo Tolstoy

Tomorrow my baby fur-face turns six years old. Yes, I'm knitting her a sweater. The nurturer in me simply couldn't resist the wonderfully fun pattern and extra chunky yarn. She's bound to earn the fashionista of the neighborhood award. Two paws up for her.

Reading...mmmm...happy sigh

This summer I've found three amazing books, all of which you must read.

The summer reading list consists of:

The Cather in the Rye by John Steinbeck

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson

I'm addicted. We won't discuss how much delicious java I've consumed on this lovely, relaxing morning, ok?

Have yourself a joyous little day, full of all kinds of happy makers.

Toodle do.

Snuggie Wuggie

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

~Leonardo DaVinci

Growing up, my sweet mama always had a way of keeping us warm. She'd put our clothes in the dryer on chilly mornings, tuck our toes under fluffy blankets, and buy us loads of super soft socks.

As I grow up, I can see where I've inherited a bit of her "keep people warm and cozy" gene. Perhaps that's why I found myself so drawn to this snugly knitting pattern.

I'm thinking every little baby should have a cozy cocoon. Who wouldn't want to have something so warm and snug?

Greetings

"I would I could stand on a busy corner, hat in hand, and beg people to throw me all their wasted hours."

~Bernard Berenson

Sigh. I've missed you, blog friends.

I've been so caught up in life that I've hardly had time to complete my most necessary tasks and chores, hence they have not gotten done-- gulp. I'm in full summer vacation mode and it's just so darn wonderful. I keep pushing away the computer in favor of a new knitting pattern, a few more pages of my novel, a walk with the pupparoo, coffee with my mama, a trip to the amusement park with my friend and her daughters, a midnight bike ride, an impromptu shopping event....the list goes on. The blue skies beckon me outdoors and I simply can't resist their lure.


I have so much to tell you, but it will have to wait, because I'm off yet again to an amazing restaurant with an amazing friend.

Till next time, adios! And before I forget, I've also decided to lift my "private" setting on the blog. It just didn't feel right. How's that for being indecisive?

Colorful Weekend Happiness

"May your walls know joy; May every room hold laughter and every window open to great possibility."

~Maryanne Radmacher-Hershey

I hope your weekend brought happiness and sunshine and all the things that provide contentment to your spirit. My weekend? Fabulous. It was the absolute best.

I enjoyed numerous bike trips to and from a quaint little town that may just become my new summer retreat. Biking is quickly becoming my new favorite form of physical activity. Between the beautiful scenery and the quality workout, I'm finding myself very fulfilled. Plus, I get to spend tons of time laughing, racing, and joking around with my favorite people.

Blue skies abound!

I fell in love with this most interesting modification to a typical school bus. Genius. I propose we do this to the local buses. I guarantee more children would attend school.

Orange cone flowers- one of my new favorites.

The Firefly Grill had an amazing hummus plate. I could have had seconds, thirds and fourths.

Eating under these umbrellas provided the refreshing, shady break we needed after an intense biking adventure.

And, I filled up Gertie's basket with locally grown fruits, peach-rhubarb jelly and jalapeno mustard. Um, Yum.

I'm also proud to report that I polished off one of these pints of blueberries all by myself. It took me a grand total of 0.35642 minutes. My mouth is permanently stained. toothy blue grin.

I did spot an entire shelf of homemade puppy treats for Charlie, but due to the inflated price I resisted. Instead I gave her an extra-large portion of Cheerios when I returned home. She loved me.

How neat are these river ships? I'll be traversing the Yough in one soon. Promise.

Great Weekend...
...Good Times
Pretty Places...
...Delicious Food
Wonderful People...
...Fields of Fireflies
Laughs...
...Fireworks
Love...