I had to go with local and immediate architecture for this week’s theme. The camera came along with me on my way to work yesterday. The first is the Greek Orthodox Church that had a tasty festival twice a year and introduced me to the likes of tiropeta and bird’s nests. Yum! The next is our local train station that I’ve yet to see an actual train stopped at as I pass it on my daily commute. The third- part of the cheerful downtown architecture in the Foothills town where I work.I’m fortunate to work on Main Street USA- well- Main Street at any rate. It’s typically bustling with daily walkers in suit skirts and tennis shoes, site-seers in capris, business men doing hand-shake deals.  It’s lovingly landscaped and chock full of twinkle lights, fragrant flowers, weekly seasonal live music festivals and shops for every sense. On a day when there is too much to do and only a small glimpse of the world will help to make it through; it’s the perfect mini- lunchtime escape. There is a swaying suspension bridge over waterfalls, a children’s garden, museum, library and art museum a few steps away. And some of the tastiest sweet potato pancakes from a Ham House, records and live in-stores in an independent record shop, used book seller, gourmet grocer and thrifting galore all within a brief drive.

Come site-seeing around the world!

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,

I had to look long and hard through the photo archives to find any versions of our front door. Here in our little neck of the woods, the front door is more ornamental. Anyone that knows you or comes to your home on a regular basis; knows to come to the back door. It’s the entrance to our world and where we are going to invite you into it through.  We’ve always been drop by people and not formal in the least so this suits us to a T.

And as you can see, it’s not so safe to roam around our front door we keep it closely guarded by a wild thing or two. 

Come knocking around the world!

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,

Look closely to see miniatures in other parts of the world, starting with our lovely host- Jane and travel around the world!

There really are two ways to go with this topic. First is my constant coffee companion- Lovey of course!

We are coffee  people in the most unabashed sense. We seek it out, out of necessity, out of interest, out of joy… We like it with cream, soymilk, black, iced and with turbinado sugar or simply with foam. We order it in taverns, in grocery stores, in home repair stores, in coffee shops, in airports and museums. We bring our own, we roast our own and we foam our own. We like a good cup of diner coffee as much as a rich espresso brewed up by a Florentine barrista. We mail order beans from our favorite shops around the country and the entry price into the House of Two Gables when coming to stay is a typically a pound from your local shop. Often more then a pound if you are coming from Portland, Chicago,  Madison or San Francisco in particular.

But really what first came to mind at the topic was what I typically have with my coffee. I’m a morning coffee drinker so it is typically a bowl of cereal alongside a home-brewed cup with whole milk served in my favorite mug. Stop on by- most coffee lover’s are drop by people I think- at least we are! There’s plenty to share!

To see who everyone else is sharing their coffee with start with our lovely host- Jane and travel around the world!

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

-from Robert Frost, Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

With the recent onslaught of media coverage surrounding the use of the word retard and retarded I find myself extremely saddened by the public’s defense of the appropriateness of this word as a synonym for anything they find annoying or ridiculous. Why people are insistent on their defense of their gratuitous use of this word when they are made aware of the power of it to hurt and strip the dignity of individuals with intellectual disabilities, is beyond me. I would have expected at the point in which it garners so much attention ;that people outside of the community of those of us who either have an intellectual disability or know and love someone who does; that it would have been a simple choice to just not say it- that it would have been clear that there is no appropriate time to use it or any other hate speech. The continued defense of people’s “right” to hurt others through this word is so disheartening to me. As Mr. Frost says- I do have promises to keep- to my children and teaching them to be kind to others; and miles to go before I sleep- there is still much work to be done in advocating for the rights of all people.

How would you use these items?

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, allison, lise, cate, crescent moon, erin, otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, aimee, sunnymama, jenell, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, jodi, gillian, travelingmama

The house sweet in this neck of the woods is most definitely the donut. Lovey is a donut-fiend from way back. I have no arguments with this whatsoever. I’ve never met a donut that I haven’t liked. We have one tasty local donut shop in the area, but mom-and-pop donut shops that employ work-release type folks for the overnight heavy labor are a dying breed. When we were in St. Louis we were in donut heaven with a handful of happy choices for non-chain delights. Oh how we miss it! Our little holes don’t fall far from the fryer. And  the donut is such a common household item here that you are bearing witness to probably the only toddler on the planet to pass out halfway through her sweet-treat!

Come feast on sweets around the world starting with our lovely host Jane:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, allison, lise, cate, crescent moon, erin, otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, aimee, sunnymama, jenell, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, jodi, gillian, travelingmama

hangin' out

Have park? Will travel! Outside of our usual abode, we are most likely to be found at a park. We’re happy to visit anyone; so long as there is a park nearby! We come with a lot of energy in our little gaggle of legs and its best to expend it in the great outdoors. Pre-small-ones we were the quiet coffee shop by morning; dinner party by day and   tavern by evening kind of folk. We still get to indulge in those- just with the understanding that we may need to sprint outside for well; a sprint!

Start with our lovely host of corner view Jane and see where everyone else is hanging  out these days:

babies…inside, on & out, in my womb, in my heart and thankfully in  my arms for the last 4.5 years.

Like Jane I have many favorites, my j.crew boyfriend jeans, a couple of cashmere sweaters, my pearl earrings and a handful of lockets and silver necklaces, my hair down, a black tank, a pea and other woolen coats, a series of Cloud 9 boots to work or Keens on the weekend, a white linen shirt that is blessedly better to wear in its naturally wrinkled state and a slightly lemony or gingery scented lotion behind the ears. The clothes are all in the primary spectrum between white and black. Very few vibrant colors grab me with staying power year after year. The bag over my shoulder is the always in style Medela PISA; the bags under my eyes- not so much anyones style of choice.

Usually what wins out on a good day is that freshly showered look. You know- actually having taken a shower? Each and every day? Oh what a glorious dream! More likely is freshly brushed hair, a slightly milky scent and a quickly wiped off patch from whatever substance one of the small ones has regurgitated back on me in one form or another during an early morning cuddle. The daily scent on a chaotic day is more than likely last night’s pesto, the color scheme is the orange and white fur of Chula from her early morning cuddle with which ever warm fuzzy I set out in supposed preparation for the day. My style? definitely waffles from late baby to early preschooler: AKA tired momma

Check out the stylish Jane and her stylish followers:

jane, ladybug-zen, ian, bonnie, esti, sophie, cele, modsquad,caitlin, joyce, ani, kim, natsumi, epe, kaylovesvintage, trinsch, c.t., jeannette, outi, ritva, francesca, state of bliss, jennifer, dana, denise, cabrizette, bohemia girl, isabelle, amber, a girl in the yellow shoes, mister e, janis, kari, jgy, skymring, elizabeth, allison, lise, cate, crescent moon, erin, otli, ida, caroline, lisa, dorte, kimmie, la lune dans le ciel, nicola, malo, vanessa, britta, april, b, kyndale samantha, karen, kristina, goldensunfamily, sophie, janet, mcgillicutty, aimee, sunnymama, jenell, britta, juanita, pamela, inna, daan, myrtille, cris, ibb, jodi, gillian, travelingmama