.pity party.

my friends are starting seeds for their gardens . . . being in the PNW means that we have a longer growing season than when i used to live in RI . . . but . . . my house only grows mold (this means no window hydroponics - not that there are any windows that have sun hitting them anyway) and my yard only grown mushrooms and mold (no sun hitting the ground there either) and all the community garden have 3 year waitlists.



uuuuugggghhhhhh......


feeling sad today.

here's a few shots of the former glory of my gardens from the past:

getting started with our first cold frame.  built by the man-friend.

heirloom lettuce.

lavender, rhubarb, peas, chamomile, basil, lettuce, raspberries.

my raspberry bush always produced early and then had a flush in late summer/early autumn.

carrots!

the bees loved our echinasea.

peppers!

tomatoes and basil. best combo on earth.

the miracle of pollination.

the most delicious arugula i've grown to date.

chamomile and tomatoes = good companion planting.

the rhubarb got so big!  but i don't mind because it shaded my lettuce from the hot new england summer sun.

oh i miss it so much.

.small steps.

i'm taking small steps today . . .

my sister recently lent me the book, "handmade marketplace" by kari chapin

{image credit}

this book has inspired me to take a few more steps toward really "making" my living.  i've been big into handmade and local crafts for a long time and i've always dreamed of the freedom and pride that can come with making my own living by selling all the goodies that i make . . . so here goes!

i've made a bird on a wire facebook page for you to follow
i've set my sights on fixing up my etsy site as well.
i'm working to make the branding fit with the blog, etc.
i've also added a little button on the sidebar where you can like this blog on facebook.
look at me, being all tech-savvy!!

i've also been cleaning up the blog a little.  i consolidated all the crazy links on the side bar (that used to lead to all my favorite websites) into a short list that will take you to a more detailed page of wonderful websites that you can choose to patronize.  so, you can still follow tj's loves, it just doesn't look as messy.

i think i might get rid of the mixed media buttons as well...

suggestions?  comments?  things that work for you?  i'm open to help and support!!!

2012, the year i took my life back and made it my own.

.heathers por vida!.

well, our first bout of the season is over!  we didn't win, but i think we did do a great job as a team!  it was the first bout as a heather for 6 of the girls on the team and we were missing more than a few key players.  by the end of the bout, we had adjusted to the guns and rollers strategy and had started to play "our game."  it was great for learning how we work together and what we need to work on for future bouts.  having only been a heather for 3 weeks, it was an honor to be rostered for this bout and i can't wait to keep skating with my team and watch us grow!!

bout footage can be seen, here
and photos can be seen here

it was soooooo good to have most of my family there (mom, dad, 5 of my 6 sisters, husband, roommate, brother-in-law) and many friends!  it was the first time for just about all of them to see me play and i was so happy to have them there supporting me!

even the "church ladies" came, wearing their pearls.

{photo courtesty of michelle}

heartless heathers 2012 team huddle

{photo credit}

last but not least, our team song (with my fave youtube video of viking kittens!!!)

.heartless.

to prep for our season opener, we had a "formal scrimmage" last night.

for this, i got crafty!

since i was just drafted a few weeks ago, i don't have my uniform yet.  also, since my last team's colors were green and pink (instead of blue, like my new team), i had to make some changes in my roller derby wardrobe.

and . . . voila!!  bella constrictor's new scrimmage-worthy shirt and helmet (never mind the very crooked "h")

the shirt is just a simple workout top with built-in sports bra that i ironed letters on to.

the helmet was my same triple 8 helmet from the river rat years . . . i just added my new number (H155) and the heartless heathers' trademark heart (using paint pens).  on the other side, i think i'm going to put the same heart . . . but with a snake wrapped around it!  aaaaawwwww yeeaaahhhhhh!

tonight, i'm going to see my sister TC who just got back from Mozambique!  She was there over christmastime, so it's time to give her presents!  i LOOOVE christmas and giving gifts!  i made her some pretty awesome stuff!

xoxoxo!

.new team new hair.

bella constrictor has been drafted! 

if you remember, i formally skated for providence roller derby with my hometeam the sakonnet river roller rats and the b-travel team the killah bees.  now that i have moved back to portland oregon, i've been skating for the rose city rollers as "fresh meat" until they had a draft.  so . . . on dec 29th, i was officially drated as part of the heartless heathers!!!!

our first game will be the january 21st season opener at the memorial coliseum vs the guns n rollers!!   you can  buy tickets from me!!

our next event is our anti-valentine's day party/fundraiser after the feb 18th bouth.  djs, dancing, drinks, etc.  get there.

----------

also . . . . in honor of 2012 being MY YEAR . . . i cut my hairs.  well, my friend arwen over at dorkasaurus cut my hairs.  

and. 

i.

love.

it!!!

it's asymmetrical and awesome.

next step . . . hair dye.

.2012.

well.  it's a new year.  and i'm starting it out a little sad.

it's been 5 months since the mister, the pup and i left rhode island.  after i celebrated my 30th birthday, our friends sent us off with much love.

 we traveled cross-country for 2 weeks and arrived breathless and happy and more than a little terrified back in my home state of oregon.

since then, life has progressed slowly and i have taken small, unsure steps.

i've embraced more time with my family.  i live with one of my sisters.  we've gone to family weddings, said goodbye to a precious grandmother, celebrated thanksgiving and christmas with our loved ones.  i am surrounded by the beauty of the pacific northwest.  we've gone hiking and to the beach.  we drink good coffee and hear good music and hold each other close. these are good things.

but . . .
i work at a job i hate, we are scraping by to pay our bills.  i gave up the garden i have so lovingly cultivated for the last 3 seasons and now live in a house where everything is in the shade.  i love the huge trees that surround our house . . . but this girl needs to be growing her own food.  i haven't touched my easel.  i live too far from everything i love about this city.  i miss my old roller derby team (though my new one has made me feel SO welcome) and my old neighborhood.  my closest friends are now the ones who are so far away.  returning to a place where i once lived and finding that both the place and myself have changed . . . it's a tough transition.  i am forced to redefine it all again.

but this can be good too.

so i start 2012 with faith.  with bravery.  with hope.  with fear.

i will embrace possibility.  my heart will continue to feel all the feelings as harshly and as strongly as it always has.  and this is ok.  but i will try to take those feelings and translate them to action.

i will use my new sewing machine.  i will take hold of the time i have and fill it with what i love - radical homemaking, crafts, creativity, time in nature and with those i love, music, yoga, passion . . .

i will dye my hair red and get an acupuncture treatment.

i will volunteer at a local farm.

i will finally put pictures on the walls of my bedroom.  (5 months in this city and no pictures on the walls?)

i will pour my heart in to my life and leave no second wasted.

how will your year be different?

.photography spotlight.

my dear friend Corinne Krogh  does amazing on-site work! she does portraits, newborns, weddings, engagements, anniversaries, families, etc. she's looking for an excuse to come up to the portland area around valentine's day. check out her work at http://www.corinnekrogh.com/blog/ and contact her if you'd like to schedule a session - makes a great valentine's gift!!!

{photo by corinne krogh}

.collecting.

a collection of websites.

useful things (also, this radio)

bed and breakfast in the san juan islands
inn to the woods

brews
buckman brewery

whiskey
highland stillhouse

daryl hannah!!
dh love life

goodies
draught dry goods

101 diy christmas gifts
everything etsy 101 green gifts

.simplify the holidays.

{for more info please see the simplify the holidays challenge webpage}
This year, I pledge to use the following strategies to simplify my holidays (choose FIVE or more!): *To complete the Challenge, commit to at least FIVE actions. Feel free to write in your own under "Other" as well!

•  GIVE THE GIFT OF TIME by creating your own gift card for a service (e.g., babysitting, carwashing, petsitting, chores, making dinner, organizing an outing).
•  GIVE A HANDMADE GIFT like a memoir of cherished memories with that person, a book of family recipes, a collage of pictures and mementos, or a calendar filled with the birthdays and anniversaries of friends and family.
•  OFFER TO TEACH A SKILL YOU POSSESS (e.g., knitting, photography, computer skills, financial planning, a foreign language, music lessons, canning tomatoes, cooking a favorite recipe).
•  CONSIDER LESS GIMMICKY, LESS COMMERCIAL GIFTS for children, such as arts/crafts supplies, books, a magnifying glass, or building blocks.
•  CREATE A PAPERLESS HOLIDAY LETTER on the computer and email it to friends and family. If you do send cards by mail, make your own cards or buy cards made from 100% recycled materials.
•  HAVE A WHITE ELEPHANT PARTY at the office instead of a traditional gift exchange, where each person brings a wrapped secondhand item in good condition, or do a cookie exchange.
•  DRAW NAMES IN YOUR FAMILY FOR GIFT-GIVING (for extra fun and surprise, make it "Secret Santas"), so that you can put more time and thought into one gift instead of having to give to several people.
•  SHOP FOR USED ITEMS for all or most of your holiday gifts (e.g., local thrift store, Craigslist, Freecycle, used products on Amazon or eBay).
•  SHARE THE GIFT OF MUSIC by caroling, and include visits to elderly neighbors or a nursing home. Or, gather friends and family for an in-home holiday sing-a-long.
•  GIVE BACK TO YOUR COMMUNITY by preparing care packages for the homeless, or volunteering at an organization to help those in need during the holiday season.
•  ADOPT A "LESS IS MORE" ATTITUDE toward holiday decorating. Opt for natural trimmings such as clippings from local evergreens and holly bushes.
•  SAVE PAPER by wrapping gifts in newspaper comics, junk mail, paper bags decorated with markers, old maps, phone books, or other reused paper.
•  PREPARE YOUR HOLIDAY MEALS with as many seasonal, locally grown, and/or organic foods as possible.
•  REDUCE JUNK MAIL by removing your name from mailing lists of unwanted holiday catalogs. For more tips on how to do this, go to http://www.newdream.org/programs/beyond-consumerism/avoiding-advertising.
•  CELEBRATE BUY NOTHING DAY on November 25 (see http://www.adbusters.org/campaigns/bnd) and spend that day doing community service, visiting an elderly friend, or helping a neighbor.

.happy . . . .

. . . . half-birthday to my alaskan malamute, hudson! you are now 7 1/2 people years old!

. . . . adoptaversary to hudson as well!  celebrating 4 years of being our 90lb baby on the same day as his half birthday (sept 24)

. . . . 30th birthday to the man-friend!!!  we celebrated in style at edgefield -aka adult disneyland- last night with friends.  these past 10 years of knowing you have been full of adventure and joy, heartache and challenge, growth and change.  i am glad you were born and i am glad we are partners together in this crazy life-journey.

{we took this photo on our cross-country road trip in aug at niagara falls}

.happy birthday!!!.

to my dreadlocks!!!!

they are 6 years old today.

they used to be much longer . . . and i've cut off all the original dreads, leaving just what's grown in . . . but they've been going strong for 6 years now.  so proud.

i was trying to find a picture . . . and i found this one i took when i was making more crafts . . .

i'm gonna make MORE CRAFTS!!!

.the long silence.

sorry for the long silence, friends.

i've been a bit busy.

one month ago to the day, the man-friend and i packed our belongings into a moving container and into our car and drove away from providence, ri.  we made a 5,000 mile road trip across the country (via stops to see many friends and family) and relocated to our favorite place in the world . . .

PORTLAND, OREGON!


that's right friends.  we're home!

it's been strange . . . awesome . . . terrifying . . . exciting . . . nuts.

i am so happy to be here!  i miss my friends from providence so much!  i miss my garden!  we don't have a place to live yet . . .  i've been living out of a small suitcase for the last month.  i miss my roller derby team (working on transferring to the local league - the rose city rollers).  but i've gotten to see my family and friends and the beautiful states of oregon and washington . . . i love the pacific northwest.

once we're settled i plan to blog and craft more!  and garden!!!

{cows in southern oregon}

what have you been doing in my absence??

.garden may 2011.

.garden april 2011.

(our gnomes were stolen)  sad face

     

.garden march 2011.