{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - Amanda Soule

Fairy Tale Endings...

(not mine but someday soon a place very much like this will be)

Let me begin by saying that there are so many things that I want to be when I grow up!  I have so many interests and varied talents that my problem has always been that big commitment to just one, or to finding something that encompasses enough of those interests to meet my needs.  I have been yelling at myself for years to "JUST PICK" already and get going on it, only the problem is that I am 14 years into my current career and rather stuck.  I am good at what I do and make enough to get by, but this was never supposed to be permanent.  I am a single mom and a very hard working one at that, and with all the time and money that this requires, I just cannot seem to find time to fit myself into the equation. 

As most of you know I LOVE to create with food.  It has been a passion for years and I have been leaning towards making this my chosen career path for awhile now.  I want so very badly to go to the CIA to be trained as a classical chef/baker, but alas it is an impossibility.  I only live an hour and a half away, but for the life of me I just can't seem to figure out how to fit it in without everything else falling down.  I didn't go to college when I was younger, having taken a job right out of high school instead.  I didn't even consider it at the time, not understanding how very important that stretch of life could be to your overall career.  Well now I am ready.  I have finally "picked one" and decided what I'd like to do going forward.  I have these huge dreams and aspirations of being the owner of a bakery/cafe/catering business that I will call Fairy Tale Endings .  It is crystal clear in my mind and I can feel within, that this is it, this is the one!  There are of course a few obstacles that I must overcome to get anywhere near this magickal place of mine, but I think I am finally in a place that they are feasible.  So here is were I'm at... 

1.  I need to build enough time into my schedule to go to a local culinary program at night, while still working full time and not taking that time away from Raine.  Yes, I realize that this is a tall order and will not easily be accomplished, but it is possible and I can work with that.  

2. I need to really get my finances in order, both to afford school and make sure that all the added pressure of outstanding debts are no longer weighing on me.  I'd also like to sack a little away for emergencies, so that should my lovely car break in the midst of this crazy schedule, it won't bring everything tumbling down. 

3. I'd also like to start up the catering portion of my company, get the name trademarked, a few supplies and monogrammed aprons, and begin taking on some gigs to get the name/taste out there.  This hopefully will help supplement some of my day job income and make the transition smoother as I get close to graduation.  I'd like to be in business before I finish my degree and be able to make the catering company my full time job shortly after I get out of school. 

This being said, there are a great many things that I have to do in the next five years (my proposed timeline to leave GE) and though it is scary to think of being self employed I am so very ready for this!  For the first time in my life I feel like this dream is possible! And though it will take a lot of work and determination to bring to life, it already feels real, like the magickal little cottage in the picture above, it is there just waiting for me to come and turn the key!

Over the next few years I'll bring you all along for the ride as blog about what it takes to accomplish my dream.  I'll write about the trials and tribulations of this amazing journey and what will hopefully result in Fairy Tale Endings for us all...

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. - Amanda Soule

Rainy Day Pirates and Tattoos~

Monday Raine and I got to enjoy our first weekday off of the summer, and while it was rainy, we both basked in the warmth of our special time together and simple flow of the day.  Raine had received a special package a few days before from a very well loved grandpa Jeff.  It contained a crafty stained glass pirate kit and was immediately voted to be one of the things we did together that day.  We got out all her brilliant color markers and set sail on the high seas of creativity and adventure.  We laughed as we imagined what it would be like to live in such a world and what we'd be like as swashbuckling sword welding scallywags.  I of course would be missing a leg and have a wicked temper while Raine would be sporting an eye patch and lurking in the galley(for were the food be so too will she)! 

All of this silliness led way to some beautiful pictures and talk of tattoos and we decided right then and there that it was high time we both got some!  Oh yes, you heard me right!  For the next half hour those washable markers came in handy as we added vivid color to our lily white skin.  Take that you untanable pasty palate!  We drew ships and bones, serpents and hearts, an ocean, a cherry, and a blueberry tart.  It was whimsical and heartfelt, a great start to our day.  Funny how sometimes it is they little joys in life that simply carry you away... 

Dancing Queen...

This past May Raine took part in a play about different cultures and countries.  Her class was responsible for representing Mexico and one of the things that they had to learn was a dance.  She worked hard on getting all the steps down and got to be right up front at the performance!  It also might have helped that she happened to be paired with her current freckled boy crush ;)

(Here she is practicing the at home)

(The Grand Performance)

Rainebow's Room Remodel

Awhile back I just happen to be sitting around on a rainy Sunday afternoon when inspiration struck me in the form of my daughters messy bedroom. She is on average, pretty good at upkeep, as long as things have a have a place to go and lately her room has seemed to be in shambles more often than not, which made me think that the layout just did not seem to be working for her (or me). She was due to be home the next day so I decided right then and there that I'd surprise her by rearranging and sprucing it up a bit.

She has a bright and bubbly personality and I am a true believer in your own space being a reflection of who you are.  With that goal in mind, into deep cleaning mode I went and an hour an a half later I was loving the results!  I moved furniture around to optimize her space making it as open as possible and reorganized all the drawers and shelving so all items just seemed to flow. 

Her bunny's cage was reposition and all it's accessories tidied neatly below. Even the kitten gave me the thumbs up on that one!

Raine is a lover of all animals both live and stuffed and her bed had started looking like a cramped zoo leaving very little room to fit the one who should be sleeping in it, so I sorted out her favorites and made the top shelf of her bookcase a new home for the rest. 

Linens were washed and her pretty bed made up all inviting, dolly was treated to the same, and flowers and butterflies were put up to bring life to the dull beige walls.  When finished all I could think was that this is definitely a Rainebow Room!!! 

Update:  Upon seeing it the next day Raine gave me a huge hug and said so seriously, "Thank you mom.  It's beautiful!"  Love that kid!!

34 seconds of peace...

Be sure to turn up your volume to hear the soothing sound of the falls...

Falling in Love~

Have you ever fallen in love?  Have you been so simply struck by the beauty of someone or something that you see them in a new light and fall madly in love with them all over again?   

For me that someone is Raine.  She is this magickal little being of light and love that never fails to surprise me with her depths.

She is a beautiful beating heart that just when I think I've seen all of her and know every part, she shows me something new, something more, and I fall again.

She is grace and flow defined, so very much deserving of her name.  A part of this world and yet so far beyond it.  She feels everything and understands that it is a gift yet selflessly accepts the heartache that can come with.

  I love that I cannot hide from her, that she sees me as no other ever has.  That we speak a language all our own.

She is not like any other that I have ever come across and yet a kindred spirit to so many.  She sees the things that lie within, the very potential in all the people she meets.

When left to her own devices she can bring about that potential before your very eyes, though you may not notice it happening until until you have forgotten what it even was before.

To watch from afar as she works is like seeing a field of fireflies dance across the twilight only to realise that they are faeries at the last second.  Breath taking. Spiritual. Magick.

I am so blessed to be her mother and a guardian of her light.  She makes me smile everyday and remember who I am, what I am here to do, and to never allow that sense of self to fade...

What a beautiful gift she has given me by being exactly who she is~My Love.

Strawberry Pickin~

A few weeks ago Raine and I headed up to Bohringer's Farm to do some strawberry pickin.  It was a beautiful (and hot) day out and we just felt like getting the heck out of dodge for awhile.

Every year we go to Bohringer's to pick blueberries in July/August, but this is the first year that we went for strawberries.

We spent about an hour in the fields before heading back to the little fruit stand that they have at the entrance to pick up a few extra goodies to bring home with us.  All in all we ended up with a little over 10 quarts, enough to freeze for winter and to can a few jars of homemade strawberry shortcake sauce!

Can You Coop? We can!!!

Well as some of you may know we are now the proud owners of 12 beautiful chickens!!  We have done a lot of research over the years and finally decided that this was going to be the year to do it!  One of the biggest decisions we had to make was all about the Coop.  Which kind was right for us?  What one would be able to house our precious girls in the heat of summer while keeping them cool, and still offer them enough space to be warm and happy come winter?  We also had to think about cost or how to get the best bang for our buck while not breaking moms bank!  With all of this in mind we shopped around and decided to go with a Lancaster.  This company makes em tough and the model we went with boasts a coop with nesting boxes 72x54x74in. Red siding, white trim, and black shingles. Quality Amish wood construction direct from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Duratemp plywood siding. Sturdy plywood panels surfaced with tempered hardboard resist damage and weather degradation. 25-year asphalt shingles.  Now don't get me wrong this little beauty was still a bit on  the pricey side at 1352.00 plus tax, but overall it had everything we were looking for to keep our new editions safe and happy! 

(She's is such a good chicken mama)

Well now that the decision making was over and with the not so little anymore chicks living in the house! it was well past time to go and pick up our coop!  My lovely and always truck willing friend Laura drove us down to the local Agway and with a forklift and a little patience it was loaded up.

(Wow it just fit and I mean just!)

I got the pleasure of driving it home and let me tell you that potholes and chicken coops don't mix!  It was a fun slow ride with a a lot of funny looks, but hey that just made it all the better.  Half an hour or so later we made it home safe and sound and it was time to unload.  Now let's take a  pause here in remembrance.  This coop is SOLIDLY built.  What it weighs I may never know, but if it takes a forklift and three guys 45 minutes to get it into the truck, why did I think Laura, myself, and Raine would have no problem getting it back out!  (insert forehead smack here)  I will admit that I sometimes have a bit of a superman complex and am simply baffled when I can't do something by myself.  So when I say that it took us 2 hours, a car jack, several sturdy pieces of wood for leverage, and girl power (both brains and brawn) of the likes you've never seen to get this bad boy on the ground, listen to me when I say, "do not try this at home!"  Get help people!  Don't let that independent stubborn streak of yours put you through something like this!  I will always remember this because now it's funny, but at the time I almost threw in the towel!!!  I am sore just thinking about it :)

After we got it on the ground, I fed Laura cupcakes (so much for the promised fancy dinner) and bid her farewell with a huge I owe you one.  Raine and I then retired for the night to "recoop" until tomorrow! 

As the next morning rolled around we got straight to work laying out landscaping cloth and beauty bark from a local nursery, and with the gracious help of our neighbors were able to get it situated on it's plot (Thanks Joe & Val!!).  And finally a fairy rose, an artemesia plant, and a few stones were put in place to give it a whimsical homey look! 

Raine and I through in the pine bedding, feeder, and watering jug for the girls and welcomed them home.  They were seemed to be thrilled with their new digs if all the happy chirping they were making was any indication. 

We spent most of the day out there with them, just enjoying their company and all the excited exploration of our curious chicks.  We also put up a temporary chicken run while we save enough to build a proper one later in the summer.

All in all it has been a wonderful experience and we are both madly in love with our first foray into being farmers.

Solstice Twilight~

Soltice~

During Summer Solstice, on what seems to be a day of endless glorious light, it is important that you take that light into yourself and illuminate who you really are. Emerge from this day "lighter" and with a deep knowing of that true self, and allow him/her to be present from here forth. I hope each of you takes the time today to immerse yourself fully in the sun and draw upon the strength and joy that comes from just being you...

My Oh My...

Say hello to a few new family members...

She Rocks!

A few weekends ago Raine and I attended the James Campbell Memorial Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show at the NYS Museum. (She was thrilled.  Don't be fooled by the face, bad photo timing on moms part)

It ended up coinciding with New York Blooms as well, so really we got two great shows for the price of one.  Admission cost for adults was 6.00 and kids were free, which I happened to think was great. 

They had quite a few interesting flower displays and the place smelled heavenly, but my nature girl was all about the rocks!  It was crystals and minerals and fossils, oh my! 

(Look at the size of that fluorite)

She was in her element and we had to do two full circuits around the floor just to be "absolutely sure" we didn't miss anything! 

(Yes that's candy that looks like crystals)

The delighted look on all the older gentleman's faces at Raine's complete amazement and rapture in their displays was priceless.  I kept hearing things like, "What a lovely young lady" and "It is so great to see someone her age so interested in rocks"!  It was pretty darn funny to behold.  I'm not sure which one was more enamored of the other, Raine over the crystals or the old gem collectors over her! 

Now this child of mine did not only come to gaze at all these beauties, she came to buy! She brought her shiny visa card that she got from grandpa for her birthday and informed me that she was not leaving until she owned a big crystal all her own.  And boy did she get one! That is an 8 pound rose quartz crystal that just "called" to her! A love rock for a love bug, so it surprised me not one bit at she ended up with this.

She also found a few dyed geode slices that she thought would be a great addition to her collection.

I even found something to call my own...a pretty little fluorite sphere that I though had nice energy.

We had a great day and will definitely be attending again next year!

My Office ~ A Space to Write

In January I finally finished my bedroom/library remodel and now have a beautiful creative space to find peace in and write a few novels while I'm at it.  Take a look...

I hope that this will bring about a lot more blog entries, poetry, and creative writing in the coming year.

It has been a long time since I dedicated a space for myself and I am coming to realize that this is just as important as making sure others have what they need.

It is frustrating how often in life we put ourselves last on "the list" to make room for everyone and everything that crosses our paths. Why is it that we feel so unimportant, so unworthy of our own caring? How is it that we find it acceptable to neglect our own well being in lue of everything else?   In light of this I have decided to make it a priority this year to undo that habit. I am not saying that I will put others aside or pay less attention to their needs, but by meeting some of my own and being a little extra careful with myself, I will be a better version of me and thus more capable taking care of others.

So the first task on "my list" was to give myself a beautiful space to simply be in.  I realized late last year that I always threw everything that didn't have a place into my room, because of course, as long as the rest of the house looked good, what did it matter that I resided in a mess. Well, no more. I am officially my own project and that starts with cleaning out and beautifying of my space. Consider this Check one off the list...