CATCHING UP.....

I have been trying to catch up, more like catch my breath this past month that I have been away from blogging. It has been far longer than I thought it would be since my last post. I have missed you all dearly. In my last missive I told you I was taking time off to enjoy all the preparations for my daughters wedding and that is just what I did!

My two dearest friends, who my daughter calls her " other mothers" , hosted a beautiful brunch for her, intimate and informal, just she and all her " mothers" hanging out. It was wonderful!I took a brief break from making wedding decorations one sunny afternoon for a quick stroll around the lake...I sat for a while on this little red bench letting the wedding stress float away on the waves of the wind brushing across the waters surface...Birthdays have come and gone, my grandson turned five and I have crossed into my 48th year. His came and went with much fanfare, mine slipped by quietly under a changing sky hovering over the farm...Handy Hubby took me on the best date ever!!! A drive into the mountains to a now defunct amusement park, we were allowed to tour the entire property at our leisure and met an awesome artist who is the care taker there. What can I say, I am a cheap date and easily amused (it was free and so much fun)...We had a family shower for my daughter and her intended at the farm. A big lunch was followed by gifts, cake, and fresh seasonal fruit. I noticed the absence of the bride-to-be. I saw a flash of sunlight glinting off her bouncing curls as she sprinted past the kitchen window. Curious I stepped closer to see where she was going. Barefoot and wearing a vintage dress she glanced over her shoulder to see if she was being observed. I stepped back not wanting her to see me. I stepped back into view just in time to see a dress hem and two bare feet absorbed into the lush foliage of the apple tree...I had to swallow a lump the size of one of the small apples greening on the tree. I knew what she was doing. She was saying good-bye to childhood. One last time climbing up to her favorite spot, nestling there for a quite private moment, one last act of wild abandon and freedom that belongs to being a child. I saw the branches shiver as she settled herself and I left her to her private thoughts and dreams...When she returned the house the only tell-tale sign that anything was amiss was a small twig and leaf that had intertwined itself into a curl just above her left ear. I plucked it from its nesting place as she grinned at me knowing that I knew. I placed it in a book to press it for safe keeping, a tiny treasured moment.

I spent the night before the shower up until 1 AM finishing upholstering vintage chairs from The Old House so we would have seating around the farm table Handy Hubby built (I'll tell you more about that project later)...The wedding has come and gone, we had all the bases covered, something old (her great grandmothers hanky tucked into the pocket of her wedding dress) and something new (her earrings)...Something borrowed (a bracelet that was an anniversary gift from Handy Hubby to me)...
And something blue (Cinderella blue wedding shoes)...Everything was just perfect! (More on this subject later too.)...
Somewhere in between all the planning, making decorations, and the actual execution of the big event, there was caring for my mother and doing all the daily stuff that needed doing, I found myself crumbling physically and emotionally. I held up well until after the big day and then I found it necessary to go into hibernation, that is why it has been so long between posts, I just needed to rest and give myself a break and time to catch up and catch my breath.I am up and running again after a quite long 4th of July weekend at the farm with Handy Hubby. Plans are being made to make some small modifications to the kitchen there and I have been collecting furniture to refurbish and furnish the farmhouse with (More on this later too, it seems I have a lot to post about!) The color scheme for the living room is looking something like this (I'll save the story of the color choices for yet another post. Yeah! I have blog fodder!)...To borrow a phrase from my sweet friend Bonita, I have been " living my story" . To me people and their lives are the most fascinating reads. Our lives really are like books, we all have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Our stories are written with every imaginable genera - drama, comedy, romance, history, intrigue, action and adventure, and you can't forget the current popular - reality. Since I have caught you up on my story, I would love to hear a page from yours, let me know what you have been up to in the comments section.

I hope you all enjoy a beauty filled weekend!

P.S. Posts may be sparse until after the middle of the month while I wrap up a few more commitments. Know that I am thinking of you and I will slowly be making my way around to visit and leave comments.