Mum's The Word

So remember Mother's Day? I had a good one. A great one in fact beginning Mother's Day Eve (yes that is so such a thing) when hubs and I made a trek out to the lake lot to check on the house progress. 

Much of what was done last week involves wires and such, but the siding makes me very happy. The color is called Timber but I call it brown-gray-green since it can look any of those shades depending on the light.  

It was a gorgeous day and I made my first foray into the lake. Not all the way in, although had I been wearing a swimsuit I might have. The water was cool, but the air was warm so I tested our swim stairs and climbed in up to my knees. 

Have you ever seen cleaner, clearer lake water? 

Me neither. 

Friends who live on the lake came over by boat and toured the 'house', then we all loaded back up on their boat for a pre-Mother's Day cruise. 

Few people can work a holiday like I can work a holiday.

Sunday morning (the actual holiday in case you've lost track) Daughter2 turned up at our front door with an armful of hydrangeas and tulips she'd arranged herself along with all the ingredients for a delicious brunch. She'd baked a crumb cake the day before but whipped up a wonderful western omelette bake and fruit salad in my tiny kitchen. So yummy! Breakfast is my favorite.

There were presents from both my girls including one gift wrapped in a glitter bag. Glitter ranks right up there on hubs list of least favorite things-ha! He is not a fan of glitter debris, but I do love me some glitter especially when it's in the shape of a heart. 

Later in the day we took a walk around the lake at our nearby university, and sadly this picture is the only one I took with my girl all day. We both look a little hot and windblown, except she also manages to look cute while I just look hot and windblown

The magnificent rose garden on campus was showing off for all the moms who happened by.

We had an early supper at Tupelo Honey then hung out in our pjs the rest of the evening. Daughter2 spent the night even though she only lives about 100 yards up the hill, and that was the proverbial cherry on top of my week long Mother's Day extravaganza.

Live the Dare

I'm going to try to wrap up Washington in this post, then move on to Mother's Day weekend tomorrow, a mere 5 days late. How 'bout we call it Mother's Day Week and then we're good?

After a couple of days spent driving out to nearby cities we chose to spend the next two closer to home. For one thing Daughter1 had to work a few hours both days, so I went to the office with her and read my book and maybe vacuumed their office floors and cleaned their office kitchen. It needed doing and I was happy to oblige.

We did a little shopping on Wednesday then squeezed in a side by side mani/pedi and later collected her hubs for a fabulous dinner at their favorite eatery in Tacoma. It's called Stanley and Seaforts and you have a fantastic view of the water from almost every table. Everything was delicious and it was such an enjoyable evening.

We took a picture so his mama could see he's looking happy, healthy, and awake-ha! So interesting to see from this side of the fence the training a surgical resident endures and somehow even manages to enjoy. Not every minute of course, but a lot of what they experience in the hospital energizes and excites them. Doctoring is not for sissies. If I had his schedule I'd be the prickliest crankiest girl you'd ever want to know. My son-in-law is relaxed, upbeat, and cheerful. Also smart! He is everything you'd want in a surgeon. 

On Thursday Daughter1 and I spent a few hours in her office and then spent the afternoon on a glorious walk from her house to the Puget Sound. It's a couple of miles there and a couple of miles back and we talked the whole way. Her pup knows when a walk will end at the water so he kept us moving at a good pace. 

The woods are primeval here. The trees y'all. You just cannot get a picture that adequately captures the soaring height, but they tower. 

Even the anthills are ridiculous. Have you ever in your life seen an anthill the size of this one??? It looks like dirt but when you get up close you discover it's moving. The entire thing is one ginormous hill made of ants. Shudder. 

Once we got closer to the water we let the pup off the lead and he ran straight into the icy cold water of the Sound. It was nearly high tide so he didn't have far to go, and he was so happy! He loves to retrieve a stick and is an excellent swimmer.

Someone doesn't want me to leave. Boo.

Washington State is a part of the country I never imagined knowing, and while the distance is so hard I'm grateful for the chance to see another part of beautiful planet Earth.

When you live far from 'home' you have a choice. Count the minutes until you're back or cherish the minutes that are yours to spend in this new and unfamiliar territory. I'm thankful beyond words to see my daughter and son-in-law not just mark time until the next thing, but to embrace this season they are in and the beauty that is right outside their front door.

To appreciate where they are now and know God uses one season to prepare us for the next. In the words of Helen Keller...'Life is a daring adventure or nothing at all.'

So much fun watching my children live theirs.

Rhodie Love

Just a reminder there's no Wednesday Hodgepodge this week. Go here to read my overly long explanation as to why not. No worries though...we'll be back with the random next week, May 17/18th. 

My Daughter1 managed to recap a whole week in a single post on her blog, which I think y'all know I'm not capable of, because words. I have too many. 

Plus I need somewhere to post a ridiculous number of rhodie pictures because they grow 'em big and oh so beautiful in the PNW. 

We spent Tuesday morning doing one of my favorite things...walkin' in the woods. These were not any woods though. 

They're part of the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden in Federal Way Washington. 

The garden is home to more than 700 species of the more than 1000 out there in the world, and it's a lovely natural setting where you follow the paths that lead you from one gorgeous bloom to another. 

As it happens we landed when the blue poppies were also in bloom. 

Have you ever seen a blue poppy? 

You don't see many true blue flowers, and these were lovely. 

I love wandering through beautiful gardens and am so glad I have girls who love it too.

We left the woods and headed for the water. It was another gorgeous day, so we opted for lunch outside. Daughter1 suggested the well-known Duke's Chowder House in Tacoma, and let me just say it's appropriately named. The chowder was delicious! 

Or maybe chowder just tastes better when sipped beside a daughter and the sea? 

People Who Live Near Glass Gardens Should Take Lots Of Pictures

Just a reminder there will not be a Wednesday Hodgepodge this week. Go here to read my overly long explanation as to why not. No worries though...we'll be back with the random next week, May 17/18th. 

Continuing now the ongoing saga of my Washington adventure. This is Day 2. Really more like Day 1 because I didn't arrive until midday Sunday and every second counts when you live on opposite coasts. 

When we made our first trip to Seattle last May we had Mother's Day Brunch in the Space Needle. Pretty sure the law says you must visit The Space Needle if you're a first time visitor to the city, and it's definitely worth a ride to the top. As we made our way into the queue that day I noticed something lovely peeking out from behind the fence next door.  

The Chihuly Garden and Glass Exhibit. 

Be still my heart. I might be his biggest fan. I told Daughter1 that was on my must-see list for next time, so first thing Monday morning we trekked into Seattle and did just that. 

Y'all I am totally in love with this man's art and talent. I first saw his work when we lived in the UK and he had an installation in Kew Gardens. Since then I look for the name Dale Chihuly when we travel and make it a point to seek out his beautiful glass works. 

As it happens he hails from Tacoma Washington so there's plenty of gorgeousness close to my daughter's home. The first thing you see as you round the corner into the museum is this-

These pictures will not do the beauty justice, but until you can see them for yourself photos will have to suffice. Just know they're enormous and bold and my daughter and I agree there's something very soothing about glass art. 

The 'spears' are as tall as I am if that helps put the piece in perspective. This 'under the sea' display stretched from floor to ceiling. 

Go big or go home-

The Sistine Chapel meets the Pacific Northwest-

My favorite pieces by far are the ones he sets so naturally in the garden. This is something Chihuly's known for and I would surely love for him to landscape a little corner of my lake lot.

 Or create a chandelier for my covered deck-

We had the best day. My daughter1 has a bit of the artiste in her so this was right up her alley. When we finished meandering in the garden we moved on to another of our shared loves...charming French cafes and long leisurely lunches. 

Moms of littles! Stay the course! Grown up girls will rock your world in a hundred thousand little ways. One day they're coloring at your kitchen table and the next they're by your side relishing the beauty of a Seattle Monday in a garden filled with glass.

Time In A Bottle

Hello blog. I'm hoping to get back in step here this week. We shall see. First things first, I don't think I'm going to have a Wednesday Hodgepodge this week.

Here's the thing-I spent last week in Washington State, then had a very fun full Mother's Day weekend, and I've got something like 200 pictures to edit and add (not all of them of course!), and if I Hodgepodge that's Tuesday and Wednesday which means it will be Thursday before I get back to regular blogging and by then I'm kind of past it. Run on sentence, but it's a run on sort of life.

I think I'd like to take this week to recap my trip and all the weekend fun, and I know some of you could do that in a single Monday morning post but it's taken me two full paragraphs just to tell you I can't. On top of that I really want to go back and wrap up my A-Z series where I dropped the ball at letter Y. Can't end an alphabet series with Y! I'm giving myself some grace and for the Hodgepodgers reading here, please know we'll be back with the Hodgepodge next week (May 18th). Thanks for understanding. And reading this exceptionally long paragraph.

Okay, so Washington. Daughter1 lives there with her hard working hubs and her adorable little boy puppy and I live on the other side of the country so our time together is never enough. But we make it work and do the all day travel with connections thing, and then we savor all the goodness in the minutes and bid tearful goodbyes and put a new date on the calendar for future real life face times.

I made this trip solo because hubs had work commitments here. We'll trek out there together sometime later this year, but last week was all about us girls and it was perfectly perfect, except not long enough but as I said, a minute is a minute and a day is a day and time is oh so very precious.

I left SC in a scary electrical storm before the crack of dawn, yet had smooth sailing all the way west. No delays, no hiccups, and no missed connections which is my favorite way to travel. Daughter1 was at the airport to greet me and we made our way home to collect her hubs who'd been on call the night before and had just gotten back to their house when she left to pick me up. It was a gorgeous day, and we went to a nearby favorite place for lunch.

I'm going to blather on far too much about the beauty in this state, but y'all this part of Washington is positively stunning. One of the prettiest parts of America in my opinion, and I've seen a lot of America. I just cannot get over Mt. Rainier. It's absolutely breathtaking the way it looms over the area. An incredible site to see, even from a moving car on the Interstate.

I told my daughter if I lived here I'd take an obnoxious amount of photographs.

I might have taken an obnoxious amount of photographs, but if this were the view from your everyday morning walk through the neighborhood, wouldn't you be snapping away too?

When hubs and I visited this same time last year we went with them to collect their brand new puppy. He's now a year old and he's all boy and all puppy. He's also an absolute love who relishes his belly rubs, fetching a ball, and being right next to you or better yet in your lap whenever you allow.

I allow.

He's a spaniel, but reminds me so much of our sweet setter and flashed me back to puppy days with her. I'm not ready for a puppy, but I was feeling all the feels they bring into the spaces of your home and heart you didn't realize were there.

We walked miles with him every single day, through deep lush woods where the tall trees grow, and along the meadow path that spills out in front of a crystal clear sunlit sea.

Long walks and talks with my girl in the middle of God's masterpiece makes my list of favorite things.

This is why I can't Hodgepodge this week. I have too many words that need to go elsewhere. Come back tomorrow to see too many pictures of pretty glass sculpture from our day at the Chihuly gallery. Happy Monday everyone!

The Merry Month of May Hodgepodge

Welcome to another edition of The Wednesday Hodgepodge. Answer the questions on your own blog, and then be sure to leave a comment for the blogger who linked before you. Here we go-

1. What's something fun you're looking forward to on your May calendar? 

I'm visiting my Daughter1 on the west coast this week, definitely something I looked forward to, and something I'm enjoying. Hubs and I have some fun weekend plans with friends mid-May, and then fun Memorial Day weekend plans with more friends later in the month so Hello May! 

2. What are some images that come to mind when you hear the word mother?

Well when I think of my own mother I tend to picture her somewhere in her late 30's/early 40's, baking in the kitchen, working in the garden, or walking in the door from her job at the library with a pile of books in her arms. I think of her sitting on the end of my bed listening to all my teenage worries. I remember her taking care of me when my own babies were born. I think of the love she has showered on my girls in a hundred little ways. I think of a listening ear, a warm blanket, hot tea at the kitchen table and feeling safe. 

3. What's something beautiful you own or have seen that's made of glass? 

My daughter and I spent Monday at the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum in Seattle. I've loved his work since first seeing an exhibit he did at Kew Gardens several years ago, and the museum in his home state did not disappoint.  I took a bunch of pictures and I'm sure I'll share more once I'm back home, but for now- 

4. Was today typical? If not what made it unusual? 

Hmmm...what is typical for us these days? I'm out of town which is actually kind of typical, but I'm with my daughter and son-in-law and I haven't seen them since Christmas so a bit unusual too. 

5. What is a quality you wish you could have more of?

Musicality. 

6. What's the next major purchase you need to make? Will it happen in the month of May? 

As you may recall, we're building a house so it feels like major purchases are happening on a pretty regular basis around here. Next up is flooring, and yes it will happen in May. 

7. What responsibility/job/work did you dislike while growing up but has proved helpful to you as an 

adult?

Probably most basic household chores...recognizng that these chores need to be done every.single.week or in some cases daily whether you feel like it or not. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

We're on our way to see The Jungle Book  shortly (Tuesday evening). You're never too old!