Life Lately...

Featured below was my original sketch on what my perfect fall porch would look like.  I made a presentation/proposal to Mister Witt and it was approved.

The end result... 

(and there is a pumpkin, 3 in fact.  Somehow I missed them in the picture taking)

My very first bona fide wreath.

a row of Hunters

My blushing bride WHITE hydrangea's.  I think my house turned them red.  Weird but brilliant.

stacked wood.

Another part of the proposal...

and another...

and one more...

The beloved fire.

and my very first WHITE pumpkin.

now on to eat as many apple crisps and scoops of pumpkin ice cream before the month is up.

Life lately...

In photograph form...

My hands are too busy sewing, cooking, cleaning, fire tending, and lunch packing to write anything on here lately.  But this is what it looks like and I am in love with it all...

Hope you are well too.

For the very first time...

I wish time would stand still.

A man and a wife A son and a daughter A dog and a cat A house in a village 2012 33
I will be 34 tomorrow.  Everything will be just the same as it is today.  But I loved you thirty + 3.  You were my favorite age thus far.  I will sincerely miss you, now and forever.

Back to School Dinner Celebration. Year 2.

Tradition as follows...

Set a lovely table.

Make a delicious dinner.

Present survival kits.

Discuss being a good person.

Goal...

?

I don't know.  To raise two conscious human beings.  Hoping to give them the perfect mixture of humbleness and toughness to make it in this world. To know how to be a good friend not a good follower.  To know when to make a stand and when to walk away.  To lead with humility and and a kind heart.  

I am just trying to raise people over here.  It is just a little ol' job you know!  No big deal.  This once a year dinner ought to do the trick, don't you think??

New this year.  One Free Personal Day.  It is a new holiday in our house.  Everyone deserves a day.

Just so we are clear. I wasn't' feeling so hot on back to school dinner night.  The first sign of sickness for me is bad hair.  Yes, I feel illness in my hair follicles first.  But gratitude was my favorite word on the table with a side of dark circles and wonky locks.

Mister Witt likes his words with a side of chili.

Heres to another good year.  5th and 3rd grade.   Please have the courage to be kind to those who others are not.   To laugh at yourself.   To be grateful every day.   To show perseverance in your most challenging obstacles.  Always lead with love.  Look for adventure. Be conscious. Consider others around you. Have a genuine heart. I love you both, to the ends of the Earth.

I quit my job...

This is us celebrating.
I am home now.  Full time.
Life is so. much. busier. 
and way better.

.

Day number 2 of our trip provided me this gem.

Best. Family. Picture. Ever.

Matt looking dapper as ever of course, and twinsies with the wife earns him extra bonus points.  Me hoping my dad doesn't drop my phone while figuring out how to take the picture.  Noah in pure travel out-of-his-head exhaustion mode. And dear Gabrielle...It's a framer.

But look at the guy in the red shirt standing on my shoulder.  That is a bona fide punter, leaving this picture as firm evidence that we have been somewhere cool.  Somewhere far away.  Even if we looked like this when we were there.

Here are a few more pics of this fine day...

 The interesting thing about this trip was that we weren't so much tourists.  I mean Sue probably thought different for as many times as we thought the car turning right was out of control and going to hit us...

BUT. aside from that. and the lack of Starbucks...

We were just chillin' with family.  Checking out the neighborhood.  Eating. Drinking. Visiting.  It was really the best. I snapped photos with Instagram but left my big camera at home.

Our daily schedule went as follows:

Get out of bed at 10am. yes please.

English breakfast until noon.

Out the door on a small yet perfect adventure.

on to a pub, or two.

Gabi having at least 3 J2O's a day, wasn't sure how she would live without them.

Dinner. Some out, some cooked at home. All great

and usually capped with some good ol' tele.

I highly recommend:

it is on my Christmas wish list.

That time we went to Europe...

Yea, it was nothing short of pure awesomeness.

We had 10 whole days of being abroad.  How fancy and cool we felt, minus the gazillion times we commented on the driving and the brick houses and the accents and the just-about-everything-in-our-site.   

We are so... 'merican

Anyways... here is how it went down Day Numero Uno:

Despite the fact that I could not, for the life of me, get this picture in its original form onto this here post I just settled for the screen shot because I do love it so.  For this captured the very moment when I saw my life flash before my eyes.  I just knew we weren't going to make it.  I could see this thing just spinning out of control like Dorothy's house in the tornado.  And I did not see any yellow brick roads in our landing.

For God's sake Burlington, get some real planes and one of those jet bridge things... jeez!!!

The picture above is my new xanax.  In years past I have often traveled solo, or just me and the kiddos.  I was always drugged.  I thought it might take a baseball bat to the head to get me to fly over the ocean, because I know for a fact, there is no Emerald city tarmac in the Atlantic...

But no head contusion necessary, for Mister Witt has the ability to calm me with a holding of hands and a gentle look.  The look that says, "don't worry darling, we will be just fine.  and if we are not we are going down together." 

and up and away we went.  drink please!

And to my surprise we made it.  And weren't these two a site for sore eyes.  Grandpa Jay and Lady Sue met us in London, picked our tired ... up, drove us to their quaint village for a rinse off and refresh.  And then for the most lovely walk through Fordham.  Now, our little Vermont village is quaint and I adore it, but their little village is quaint on steroids.  I mean, truly lovely.

We went to the allotment where they are growing some beautiful beans and so much more.  I spotted a textured door covered in ivy that I wanted to rip off and shove in my suitcase.  I settled for a photo.

That evening we also had a delicious curry and some much needed visiting.

Oh, and we were also introduced to this:

 The spreadsheet.

Day two tomorrow!