Gray, Gray, Gray

The weather has been so overcast and cloudy. Everyday we wake up to gray. In fact Child #1 asked me if when we go on vacation (in a few days) if we will have sun.
 "Yes, child #1 - everyday!"

So here is my collection from a few days ago and wouldn't you know, my find of the day was a gray piece of sea glass. You can see it next to the big green piece in the photo.

Or here it is on top of a white piece of glass to try and give you a better idea of the color difference.

And while we won't be going on a sea glass vacation, there will be some sun! See you when I come back....

Ode to my Mother

Today is my mom's birthday and I have been meaning to blog about some thoughts about my hands and I thought today would be a perfect day! Are you thinking - hands?

Yes, hands!

Photos by a 2 year old.

In the spring, I took a quick trip to Arizona. When I was there I was able to spend an evening with my grandfather, two uncles, new aunt and cousins. I loved it! At one point one of my uncles smiled at me and said, "you have your mom's hands". I was surprised and wasn't sure what the socially acceptable response was but luckily the moment passed. But I have thought about that quick comment and have looked at my hands differently. And have thought about how lucky I am that I have hands like my mom.

My mom raised 6 amazing kids. All college educated, contributing members of community and church. They are fun to be around and I consider them to be some of my favorite people. If asked who I would like to travel with, it would be hands down, my family!

My mom has done so much good in our home - laundry, cleaning, loaves and loaves of bread. Diapers, wet beds, baths. Miles and miles of driving, school meetings, church meetings.

She was very involved in our school assignments, extra curricular events, church activities and all this times 6!
She has taken classes herself, has mastered the computer and uses her college education in many ways.

She is a faithful wife, loyal friend and loving grandmother.

Being a mom, I have an inside view (sort of) of how she used her hands all those years (baths, bread, tears, diapers) I have gained an immense appreciation for what she has done. I find that more and more I am as they say, "becoming my mother" and I like it!

 I am trying to raise my children like she did her children, I am spending my free time like she did (sewing, creating), I even bake bread like she did. It is nice and as I do these things like my mother, I love and respect her even more.


Recently a friend shared this poem. It was perfect for my mom's birthday. And while I have never given my mom a layard, I have tried over the years to give her good gifts. I am realizing that the best gift I can give her is to find the magic in being a mom and in the great God-given gift of being a family.

Here is the poem: (best to be read aloud - it is touching and funny all at once)

The Lanyard - Billy Collins

The other day I was ricocheting slowly
off the blue walls of this room,
moving as if underwater from typewriter to piano,
from bookshelf to an envelope lying on the floor,
when I found myself in the L section of the dictionary
where my eyes fell upon the word lanyard.

No cookie nibbled by a French novelist
could send one into the past more suddenly—
a past where I sat at a workbench at a camp
by a deep Adirondack lake
learning how to braid long thin plastic strips
into a lanyard, a gift for my mother.

I had never seen anyone use a lanyard
or wear one, if that’s what you did with them,
but that did not keep me from crossing
strand over strand again and again
until I had made a boxy
red and white lanyard for my mother.

She gave me life and milk from her breasts,
and I gave her a lanyard.
She nursed me in many a sick room,
lifted spoons of medicine to my lips,
laid cold face-cloths on my forehead,
and then led me out into the airy light

and taught me to walk and swim,
and I, in turn, presented her with a lanyard.
Here are thousands of meals, she said,
and here is clothing and a good education.
And here is your lanyard, I replied,
which I made with a little help from a counselor.

Here is a breathing body and a beating heart,
strong legs, bones and teeth,
and two clear eyes to read the world, she whispered,
and here, I said, is the lanyard I made at camp.
And here, I wish to say to her now,
is a smaller gift—not the worn truth

that you can never repay your mother,
but the rueful admission that when she took
the two-tone lanyard from my hand,
I was as sure as a boy could be
that this useless, worthless thing I wove
out of boredom would be enough to make us even.

Included in the book The Trouble with Poetry.

Happy Birthday MOM! I'm glad to have your hands.

Summer Offerings

So - summer doesn't seem to have the great sea glass that I am accustomed to - thus the limited blog postings. But my husband did tell me that there "might" be something in a little rock wash not far from our house. After breakfast dishes and a shower, the kids and I headed out. This is what we found. Not much but after nothing for weeks, it felt great!

Happy Birthday America - land that I love!
Wishing you a wonderful red, white and blue week-end.

So, what do you do with all that sea glass?

 Sort it...

 Display it. The far left has my yellows mixed with white sea glass, the middle jar has reds with white and the far right contains my lavendar and purples with white sea glass.

 More of my displays... jar on the left has large white pieces of sea glass, the middle has pottery shards and the little container, blues and whites.

 This is the collection on top of my bookshelf.

My friend B.H. made this candle holder with sea glass on the outside. It is the most classy by far of all my display pieces.

 More collections. We got these glass containers for our wedding. I finally put them to good use!

I am in the process of filling these glass containers with all of the same color.

 I liked how these look in this heart box that my son made for me for Mother's Day some years ago.

 I tried my hand at earrings. They are o.k. but nothing special. I don't like that you can see the post through the front. Unless I learn how to drill the glass that will be the end of my jewlery making!

Sea glass is a great filler for vases - add water and those short flowers are longer or use it to position the flowers.

June 6th (for lack of a better title)

This was the first beauty of the morning.



The rock wash just waiting to be looked over!



Wish I could rotate the photo - it was my favorite find this morning.

This lady and I have met before on the trail. She lets her dog run on the trail without a leash which is a no-no! (And there are signs everywhere that say "no dogs on the beach!!" (I added the exclamation points.) I have asked/reminded this lady to keep her dog on leash. Her response was "for what?" Which I promptly stopped running and looked at her and said, "because I don't want to get bit!"

But the great thing was this morning I didn't say anything - I don't know if she recognized me or not but justice was served!  As this lady turned to leave the beach, who should come down the hill? But a California State Park Ranger! She quickly tried to put her dog on leash but it was obvious...1. A dog on the beach and 2. A dog without a leash! Double no-no!

He stopped his truck and talked to her. Now..... I know that dogs off leash and on the beach are the least of a Park Ranger's worry but it is nice to know that she got an old fashioned reprimand.

I know she most likely will keep the dog on leash for a few weeks and then in a week or two resort to her "above the law" behavior (most locals around here do). But I hope that she'll be more respectful of the law and of other people's uncertainty of dogs off leash.

And on a more pleasant note, this evening I took a quick walk to see the sunset and to get some fresh air. I had a busy day! -It started with a me sea glassing this morning, then I made breakfast, cleaned up, went to the gym, cleaned up 5 underwear accidents (two involving poop), made lunch, went grocery shopping, made 6 "freezer dinners", made dinner for a friend and delivered it, made dinner for our family, gave two baths, cleaned the kitchen again, did a load of laundry, got family home evening started and did the lesson for our family home evening, and put two kids to bed.

It was a quiet night with a brilliant red sun sinking behind the hills. It was misty and foggy and the sun setting was only visible for about 7 minutes before the clouds shifted and the brilliance was gone. It was nice to walk in the sand thinking about life and my frustrations, disappointments and expectations.

On my walk home I glanced out to the waves (I don't look at the ocean enough. So often I spend my time looking at the sand searching for treasures the ocean has washed up) and what did I see? Dolphins! A big pod of them!

As I watched them I realized that is is moments like seeing their fins peeking out of the waves that I am reminded of that vast underwater world. A whole universe that I can't see yet, I know is there. Teeming with life. Things I never will see.

How often are people like that? So much going on underneath but we don't know it, we don't see it, until something little comes up to indicate so much more. Just some thoughts for June 6th!

Kirstin

Amazing moments

I had a friend tell me of her recent experience of losing her daughter in a crowded public area. We all know that horrible feeling when your heart begins to pound.

And all the places your eyes scan looking for that little familiar person.
It happens to every mom and when it does it is awful.

But in this story, when my dear friend found her child, (at the entrance to the building) before she even had a chance to scoop up her baby and cover her with kisses- she was yelled at for all to hear. And called a terrible mother. Already near tears, she agreed and thanked the man for not letting her little girl wander out.

I have been thinking about that experience and the very harsh words that were used against my friend... thinking that is unfair that so much attention was drawn to her minor mistake. What about those amazing moments that she has had, that all women have had? But were never shouted about or recognized?

I mean those moments when you have absolutely had it with a child and you continue to show patience and love waaaaaay past the point that they really deserve it?

Or the times you put energy and love into a project, a dinner, a lesson and then have it flop or no one seems to notice how great it was?
Or how about the fact that you can understand a child's words or story when others thought they were hearing gibberish?
These moments and a list of them could go on and on.

As I have thought about the amazing moments that women have, the ones that no one ever recognizes and shouts about, I thought of these remarks made in April. They were given by Elder Quentin Cook, a latter-day Apostle as he spoke of the great service that woman do.

He said, "Many of these responsibilities do not provide economic compensation but do provide satisfaction and are eternally significant."

Satisfaction and Significance.

The world looks at money and position and power as payment for amazing moments.

But the currency that teachers, mothers, nurses, social workers, caretakers, fathers, counselors, grandparents, guardians, and so on are paid with a different currency.

The currency with which they are paid has no tangible value because the currency of love, compassion, and respect are are heavenly virtues. And as such will be recognized and acknowledge by Heaven.

I do feel that the goodness and good things that individuals do through out their days will be rewarded, but not usually in the currency that we expect.

 Soooooo with that thought in mind, I hope to hear a little shouting - about all the amazing things (big and small) that women have done.

Photos of Sea Glass

 This is what has awaited me for the past two mornings! I've heard them called "rock washes". And that makes sense, it is where the rocks (and sea glass) have washed up onto the beach.

I finally remembered to bring my camera and was able to capture a few of the peices before I plucked them up and  slipped them into my pocket.



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Can you see the piece of brown sea glass in the middle of the photo?

 

Piece of pottery. There were two peices almost right next to each other. Pottery is a rare find for me!





  Seeing pieces of sea glass as I walk along is like going on an Easter Egg hunt,  but with a twist. No eggs, no candy, just little gems that glow in the sun, hide in the rocks and sometimes roll away in the waves.


This one was a peice of green glass that had fused with a piece of brown glass. They must have been in a fire next to each other.



This shows how lovely sea glass looks when the sun shines on them.

This one was just washed up. I was able to photograph it just before the next wave came and tried to roll it away. It didn't succeed - I was able to scoop it up!

This is my collection from today. It was another successful morning.