likeable

late after noon with the little french press
new shelves in the dining room
strawberries all day
most of the boxes unpacked or squirreled away
hard work
ultrasound with wiggling wee babe
cold by night, by morning
churchy helpers yanking the horrible holly hedge from the front of the house
granola
egg rolls
late night cheeseburgers
roses all wild in the yard

in love with

muddy kids taking baths each night. or afternoon.
jude’s teepee
unpacking things i forgot we had
dishwasher of dreams
central vac
clean sheets pulled tight
stirrings of the baby
morning sun
late afternoon slanting sun
having a dining room
sherlock homes on netflix
the weirdness of lana del ray’s fingernails
chipotles in adobo sauce
a new-to-me junk shop called shinola (though it ruins the thrill of the thrifting hunt)
the exhaust fan, pulling in the cold night air
this writing
these photos
the idea of making and drinking this. right away.

a few resolutions for a new year

read 52 books
become very skinny
spend less money
mop more often
learn to linocut
memorize a little erik satie
minimalize the stuff in my life
plant trees

christmas tree
tinsel everywhere
piano practice
post office
homework
little string player christmas concert
mobiles
cutting out many dogs
vacuuming the kitchen floor at last
amazing chicken tikka masala that i hope i can recreate another day
basketball games: a win! an almost win!
pic in the church bulletin: members! (moustaches and unibrows added by henry)
christmas lists
grocery lists
to-do lists
cookie list
many raindrops

don’t forget to enter the giveaway!

remembering to put out the recycling
cleaning house
fruit flies in abundance due to poorly trashed apple core
homemade mod-podge (don’t you dare buy it again: equal parts glue to water and then a few extra glugs of glue; shake)
ernie’s brothers over with pizza for basketball games
moving furniture
finishing up rabbit sculptures
making donut muffins
skipping lunch
cleaning more house
kids rooms, top to bottom
carnitas!
perfect guacamole
friends for dinner
miles of music afterwards
dancing kids in costumes
early church
coffees, right away
other churchy things
pack lunches
fold laundry
to bed, too late

little weekend

laundry
pinterest
make a bed, or more than one
clean kids’ pits rooms
rake leaves
walk with max & lola
open studios
procure art of one kind or another
churchy opportunities
henry’s smokehouse
think about making tacos
netflix something new
make paper sculptures
clear desk of debris
mud mask
fingernail painting
wear giant dwarf stars

autumn, underway by a month and then some.  but it’s never too late to dream big. this also allows time for me to include on the list things i’ve already done so that i can go right ahead and check them off.  summer, i should learn from you (i’m sad i never took a spin on that ferris wheel…)

autumn manifesto

i will take a long running leap into a huge pile of leaves
i will refuse anything called a pumpkin latte
i will go camping once
i will go camping twice
i will sit on a beach with my dog while the little ones run in the first wave and beyond
i will have dealings with a turkey
i will go on a long date to a concert
i will not cut my hair
i will run
i will take things to goodwill
i will read ezra pound
i will go to this thing
i will go to this other thing
i will not take it personally, whatever it may be
i will make some new things
i will take henry on a roller skating date
i will climb a golden tree with jude
i will sew for lola
i will go to the farm
i will load film correctly
i will drink hot cider
i will hold a new baby and give no advice
i will tie scarves in many ways
i will be patient with marshmallows in fire
i will spend time and not worry about it

likeable

monday catch up
paper sculptures
new sleeping bags
camping plans
french press
folks holding doors open as i carry the unwieldy packages
pup naps
homemade mac & cheese
handsome husband i love
wondrous new necklace for new deer mobile
buzz of washing machine
lola glueing pom poms to paper
boys away having school things happen for the day
bags to the thrift
bags from the thrift
dye my hair
paint my fingers
make my bed
make lists
sweet potatoes
secret ice cream

i will make popsicles most every day
i will drink water
i will swim long laps
i will catch fireflies when i see them
i will eat tomatoes in every form
i will remember to make ice
i will sew a sundress
i will pick flowers i grew
i will ride my bike
i will read something good
i will burn through sparklers
i will shave my legs
i will eat outside
i will skewer things for dinner
i will only schedule things we really want to do
i will go to this art exhibit
i will shoot more polaroids
i will bring my camera along
i will work hard in the garden
i will make lots of garlands for this event
i will eat ice cream cones
i will take a trip to illinois
i will ride a ferris wheel
i will water my houseplants
i will make ice cream sandwiches
i will watch a tiny bit of bad reality tv
i will teach my pup to give me the ball when playing fetch
i will make baked beans and feed them to friends
i will buy lemonade at yard sales
i will employ a babysitter
i will use a tablecloth
i will go to the beach
i will eat frozen peaches
i will read madeline to lola
i will spray jude with the hose
i will lose to henry at horse
i will stay up late
i will wake up early
i will make pickles

saturday

50 or so jars of jam with a friend
strawberry, berries
twice we boiled over
ernie rid the garden of grass and weeds
they come in from the sides to take over
we may be losing three tomato plants
can someone tell me where to buy garbanzo plants?
boys swim and sunburn
the box turtle requires more than i thought
the dog calms down
the dog takes a nap on my chair
jam in many jars rests on the counter
squash, peas, olive oil, paprika
church clothes out
boys in beds with library books
red cheeks, shoulders, noses
lola sleeps under her window
pink blanket
golden hair
we make coffee
staying up late feels best on saturday
making the best day a wee bit longer