Native seeding

Our buddy Bob at Blooming Prairie Nursery stopped by with our native seed today! It was drizzling as the whole family spread seed, and an hour later the snow started. There could not have been more perfect conditions for dormant seeding.

More Clearwater Beach photos

Brr, our first day in Clearwater is a WINDY one. It looks gorgeous when viewing the beach from outside the window, but getting down there is a chilly adventure. Even so, we're going to make the best of it.

There is another hotel going up next to our balcony.  

Check out the nasty green pool in this bankrupt hotel across the street!

Just too windy to use this pool; it's like a wind tunnel in there.

There are tons of small motels all around Clearwater. Some look okay; others are a tad sketchy.

Clearwater is an island, so there are several bridges all around leading to it. Some are as long as 10-12 miles.

Our  hotel is giant....and pink.

Pearly's Beach Eats

Cork N' Brew Bistro

Candied bacon!

Sunday is a much nicer day! Less wind and warmer temps (mid-60s). Lots and lots of beach walking is happening today. 

While cars in Iowa are getting snowed in, cars in Florida are getting SANDed in.

I played around with the settings on my camera. This one is called "painting."

It's not a beach vacation until you drink a fruity frozen drink. 

Clearwater Beach

We arrived to a slightly windier, colder-than-usual Clearwater Beach. No matter, I plan to bundle up and walk those white sands!

The first stop after leaving the airport was straight to lunch on the beach at Frenchy's Rockaway Grill. Ahh.

The rooms here at the Hyatt Regency are all equipped with full kitchens. I'm noting this for future reference, in the event we get brave enough to bring the kids  on a plane to see the ocean.

Yesterday we spent the afternoon and evening with Dan and Lisa Rodriguez, who showed us around St. Petersburg and took us to Cycle Brewing and Red Mesa Cantina. Good times!

Getting all ready

To see some sunshine in Florida tomorrow. Got a new do

And some new henna

Now if I could just change that pesky weather forecast that says it will rain in Clearwater Beach the next two days...

Regardless of weather, Mike especially needs this trip. 20 days after the knife-point robbery at Medicap, his store was robed again earlier this week; this time the intruder wielded a gun. Needless to say, the staff is feeling hopeless about their safety, and futures at that location. Crappy, crappy, crappy. Bring on vacation, please. 

I love 54 degree winter days

I start thinking the worst of the season is over. And then I realize it's January 16th. Even so, we enjoy it when we get it. 

Took a walk to pick up cupcakes as a Friday treat, and made sure to extra in case Adam and Jenna stop by this evening with their new dog.

Digital hoarding

If this were my email, I'd have an all-out panic attack. These are my frien Dan's UNread email messages. Shivers. 

Salty taste of summer

I just discovered my other new favorite use for the plastic mason jar lids: margarita shaking. I can even fill the Los with kosher salt and use it to salt the rim. It's a three-in-one shaker, salter, and mug. Now that is useful.

Play date with Ella

I got excited when Gavin came home asking if he could have a play date with his schoolmate Ella. The boys in this house tend to be very boy-focused, so I got a tad more gleeful than might be typical about this request. They had a great time!

Life's little conveniences

Can be so joyful. Love my new mason jar lids. Now I can freeze things without ruining canning lids, and as a bonus I discovered how useful they are for leak-free shaking & storage of homemade salad dressing! This is lemon espresso vinegarette (sounds odd, but with a little goat cheese, some blackberries and pecans, it's really quite a wonder). 

Beautiful Morning

It's -1 degrees outside, but I'm cozy next to a sunny window, with hot coffee and tasty breakfast, and a good book. I will miss these quiet mornings when the world of gainful employment beckons later this year. Until then, thank you La Mie for giving me this space.

School cancelled

Due to a high of -3 and -23 windchills. Bummer. The 7" of snow we got 2 days ago is suspiciously steering clear of our neighbor's cleared driveway and walks, yet is blowing drifts over ours. Hmmm. Leo decided to give it a go, but after 30 seconds was not having it.

Looking forward to a pedicure and dinner out tonight with Colleen. A good reason to head out in the weather!

Guess who rocked his first eye doctor visit?

Sunday happiness

A finished puzzle, and back to school tomorrow for all my boys (FREEDOMMM)!

2014 Reflection & 2015 Resolutions

It took me a few days, but I'm coming around to my reflections on the past year, and am ready to state my intentions for 2015. They've been swimming around in my head for many weeks already, but I think it would be good for me to put them in organized print, so I can come back to them later. This year especially.

Looking back on 2014, Goodreads tells me I only read 9 books. Disconcerting. But some reading is better than none, I suppose. In 2014 I read:

• Winter World, by Bernd Heinrich
• Red-Tails in Love, by Marie Winn
• The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, by Elisabeth Tova Bailey
• The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan
• Saving Cee-Cee Honeycutt, by Beth Hoffman
• Wish You Happy Forever, by Jenny Bowen
• The Orchards, by Margery Wolf
• Desert Soliatire, by Edward Abbey
• Better-Off, by Eric Brende

I revisited my blog entry from the end of last year, where I put forth my 2014 Intentions.  On the positive side, I did complete the Master Conservationist program, which is easily my proudest and most fun accomplishment of 2014. Kept reading, kept gardening, did institute the new ticket discipline/reward system for the kids. On the less positive side, I still don't have a will. Did not get any of the scanning/photo book projects started or finished. Didn't start running again, although I did try some new physical activities that didn't stick, yet were still accomplished. Still in major need of working on my affection level and relationship with Jack. So that's the year in terms of resolutions. 

2015.....  Here are my intentions. 

1. Revisit, rework & update my old CV. Meet with Drake Career Center for a consultation on how to turn my volunteering over the past several years into a workable resume as I enter the job market mid-way through 2015. {Gulp.} 
2. Find a new form of exercise. I considered yoga....although minor past attempts with it lead me to believe it's not for me. In some ways I think I need a class setting to really push myself to show up and do the work. In other ways, I much prefer the self-propelled component of jogging. My 3-week boot camp showed me I could do really well with a more intense class setting, but finding one that fits into my neat schedule of meeting between 9 and 11 AM makes that tricky. So I'm on the search for something active for 2015. I wish, oh so wish, we lived somewhere with nearby, accessible hiking trails. I greatly prefer having active walking mixed in to daily live over designated "exercise" times. The most fit times of my life have been when I've lived in places or contexts without a car, where I walked miles every day just to get around. I miss that a lot. 
3. Get a will. It seems silly to keep saying it, but I think that once it's on the list, it has to continue on the list until it gets done. If anyone wants to volunteer to be designated guardians of our children in the unlikely event that Mike and I perish tragically together, please speak up and we'll crank that will out licketly split....

I think I've picked back up on free reading enough again in life that it need not make a resolutions list. #1 this year is the biggest intention. It entails a lot of thought, a lot of searching (both soul & legwork), & the end of a major era. I am not pushing myself on a timeline, but hoping that as I work through the process, the right answers will come. 

Saturday morning happiness

Coffee that blooms with a vengeance

And a new puzzle to start at the makeshift puzzle station Mike set up for me (furry assistant not included)

I love these two