Ben's hats

When Ben was little, real little, my mom sent him a ball cap. It was dark purple and gold and he wore it much of the time but especially to bed. He called it his "nighty cap". Ben has always been a HAT man. He has bought hats in every country we have visited along the way and a few dozen here in the states. Some are nice, some are weird, some are goofy, some are distinguished. They are all BEN.

Loving to knit, of course, I had to make some beanies for Ben. I don't have a lot of pictures of them but here is one of his beanies.

I am currently trying to convince his best friend that he needs one of my beanies, a red one perhaps. But it doesn't matter - I will always have Ben to knit beanies for! 

Gardening Genes



Front berm with yarrow, salvia, sage and other assorted delights




Backyard terracing




More of our front berm. Ben and Eric actually designed and help put
this together several years ago.  It has overgrown somewhat
but keeps that cottage garden feel that I really like.




My fave - red valerian otherwise known
as Jupiter's Beard




Water feature - soothing vacation spot
at home




Decorating our tool shed




Strawberries in the stew pot along
with moss rose, another annual
favorite




A "stay-cation" spot

I was behind the door when the gardening genes were handed out.  My father loved gardens, although he had a bit more cactus than I would prefer. He did love rocks - I came by that fair and square. My mother had a weed-free lawn.  My older sister has a deck to envy surrounded by flowers and plants and impeccable beds and lawns. My twin sister actually has  DEGREE in horticulture and a great eye for design. Imagine that.  I, on the other hand, used to intentionally leave plants out to freeze, just to be rid of them. I had NO idea what to do in the yard, garden, etc. and really was not interested.  Then came the age of the "depression".  We had moved to Colorado 11 years ago from Germany and depressed I was. Extremely and seriously. So I did what every self-respecting depressed person OUGHT to do - I put my hands in the dirt.  I (along with my hard-working and amazing husband), at our former house, amended the soil, put in manure (sheep and horse), and planted.  I planted what I loved and not by design and I learned the hard way that things grow, big, and overgrow. Janet Phillips said, "There are no gardening mistakes, only experiments." But still that first year - oh my, what solace and peace! 

We moved across the street a few years ago and the labor of gardening continues. It IS labor but the fruits of it are soul food, literally.  My spirit still desperately needs and desires the solace and peace that come from being in the space we plant. I talk to the plants. I tell them how lovely they are and how well they are doing. And they understand and return the favor by bringing quiet to my soul.  

"As the garden grows, so grows the gardener."

Thanks for visiting my gardens!

Angels and Friends

A Christmas ago, I remember an old craft that my mom had introduced me to - making paper angels (or trees) out of Readers Digests.  My sister-in-law Eunice sends us a subscription to Readers Digest every year and I get my best jokes and motivating articles to send to Ben from them. THEN, what to do? Well, here is one project.  I made these for friends that year and it brought joy.

When I die...

Ben was getting ready to leave for basic training. It was September 2009. I was sitting at the kitchen table working on a piece of crosstitch. I don't think it was this one. I was talking to Elizabeth on the phone and asked her if she would like something crosstitched. She quickly said "NO!" (she fervently dislikes crosstitch) I said, "Okay, I see how it is. I am going to die and all the things I have made will be shipped off to Goodwill!" She said, "Well maybe Ben's wife will have bad taste!" Can you believe this?  Ben, of course, says, "Well thanks a lot, Elizabeth, what does that say about her marrying me?" And then Elizabeth, true to form, is all worried that I am mad but I am actually laughing and plotting my revenge (see image at right).  I stitched this Mary Englebreit pattern for her and had it framed. I think, really think, she likes it. It was one of her Christmas presents that year. And as demonstrated in this picture, my heart is always hers. I love you, Elizabeth.

Comfort Required

I have been reading and been inspired by several blogs lately. Mostly Elizabeth's blog and her friend Sarah's blog and this Pioneer Woman blog I discovered and more. I am amazed at their ingenuity and ability to communicate as well as how they find the time to be so creative on the computer. Elizabeth has urged me to write more here and I always think I will, just to capture THAT THOUGHT or THAT MOMENT. Right now though, I have been in a major funk. Struggling with several things which I won't detail but suffice it to say, my heart and mind cried out for relief! And so, I went to my craft room (aka Ben's old bedroom). He has a wonderful glass topped desk in there (which I hope he never wants back) and a great light and I began to create. Comfort was required. I NEEDED to create something. Ordinarily I would have gone to my chair with my knitting. That wasn't what was being called for tonight. No, something new and different.

I love paper. Paper of all kinds and textures and colors. I love glue and brads and embellishments and stickers and letters and pictures and putting something unexpected on a page. So I made a little bitty journal for Elizabeth. Here are some pictures of some of it.