This day we celebrate you!

Birthday plate tradition; this one from Zinnia Designs

 I would HIGHLY recommend her; she sent this plate to us with an apology  "There was a flaw in the clay resulting in slight gray streaks in your plate.  This is not up to my standards, but I wanted to make sure you had your plate in time for Sara's birthday.  Another will be on the way shortly."  I wrote her a thank you back and said that I appreciated the integrity she exhibited and that I would be sure to be a repeat customer and tell all my friends.  So there you go!  Yea small businesses!!

Carrot cake cupcakes- awesome recipe!!

Awwwww.....smiling already.....

One day, two days, three days old
Four days, five days, six days old
Seven days, eight days, nine days old
Ten days, Twenty days, no days old

I'm a little baby a few days old
I"m a little snick-snack some days old
I'm a little jabber-talker lotta days old
And I'm a little butterfly one minute old.

(sampling of  "One Day Old" by Woody Guthrie, sung by a favorite Elizabeth Mitchell)

Three Rivers Rambler

This past weekend we had my very favorite company party.  It was aboard the Three Rivers Rambler  and we chugged our way from downtown Knoxville to the Holston River.  It was gorgeous and so much fun!!  They had a TV set up in the front of the car for those who wanted to be amused by the TN/FLA game  ( go figure), a dining car with BBQ catering and I SWEAR some of the best cupcakes I have ever had, several closed cars decorated with pumpkins, and the one where I spent all of my time; the open air car.  Picture a double sided wooden bench, set in the middle of a car, with hip height sides to contain the kiddos, and nothing but crisp blue sky above.  

As we passed through the scenery all I could think was "WHY  would anyone decided to move on out to the West to settle?  It is crazy beautiful out here!!!" As a pioneer, I would have thought that I had landed in milk and honey.    (I have been reading a lot about pioneer woman recently, and to sum it up, I would have died in transit folks). 

If you have yet to do this in Knoxville, make it a priority.  The fall or spring would be ideal, and don't forget your camera  (grrrrr.....)

Monday, Monday

so good to me....

Usually Mondays are great days.  I love the start of the work week.  I feel energized, confident, rested, and ready to tackle that to do list.  It's almost like a "New Years Day" for this mom.  And so, today, I take Madeline to preschool and plan on about an hours worth of errands afterwards- Sara in tow. 

I drop off Madeline and put Sara back in the car.  As I close the door, I notice my left front tire looks a little low.  Creeping up to it, I decide yes, it is low, and I will probably crash on Northshore if I go over 20 miles an hour. 

Maybe not.  But it is low because you should be able to see the tread on the bottom.  I also know that everytime I try to put air in my tires I deflate them further.  At least that's what happened 6 years ago on my last attempt.

So, I call Jeff, who meets me on a white steed; roses in hand for my attention to detail. 

Hee, hee.

I call Jeff and after a few minutes discussion, he agrees to meet me at Weigel's to fill up my tires.  He also added "show Ashley how to fill up tires" to his "Honey come on!" list.  But I was vindicated.  My tires were low and apparently had a nail in them.  I then drive to the garage and they tell me it will be about 30-40 minutes to have it fixed. 

My original Monday plan is shaky but still salvageable.  My errands included going by my mom's to pick up some Asheville Farmers' Market bounty and she had left the door unlocked for me.  Unlocked doors stress me out, so I texted her to say that if she's robbed between now and 30 minutes; I have a really good reason why I wasn't there.  And that I would buy her a retina scanner to unlock her house from now on. 

As I wait on the car, Sara is waving and charming all of the customers, employees, and even the dog mascot.  We're laughing, giggling, and rolling on with life.  I think, "aren't I lucky to live in such a great place, so convenient and so helpful?"  And then I realize Sara is wet, as in really wet, as in change my pants wet.  I have no diaper, no change of clothes, nothing.  I usually  have a quick change bag in the car, but I had just stripped all of her diapers and never replenished the car stash.  Genius. 

The car is finished; and off I run back to the house to change said diaper and pants.  I hop back into the car and head to mom's to do the drop. My next errand is to check out the "pre-sale" of an estate sale over near UT hospital.  I park at the bottom of the driveway and hike up the hill with Sara on my hip.  This sale is for my friend, whose parents died within a few years of each other, and she has spent the last two years trying to get to this point. 

Walking in, I instantly see how much work has gone into this sale.  Her parents had not come to the point where they had to scale down or move to a one level home.  They had a basement, and two very large levels above that.  It wasn't full with kids mementos but just with everyday living, hobbies, tools, and their own personal treasures.  I was overwhelmed to the point of tears as I thought about all that my friend had endured. She had buried two people very dear to her, suffered through her own health issues, mediated conflicts among relations; all in her late twenties.  I imagine her spending many hours by herself sorting and organizing.  I regret time that I piddled away when I could have helped-even if it were just one afternoon for companionship. 

I didn't buy anything. I walked back down the drive realizing how radically blessed I am.  Even amidst all the perpetual errands, face washing, and floor cleaning, life is good.  God will make all things new, and I am thankful for the reminder.