A basement full of studs

Shortly after New Year's, Dan started work finishing the first of 2 rooms in the basement- my room. A scrapbookers dream... a room that's only mine... that I can decorate anyway I like... a place to be creative, to relax, to hang out, to read and knit and scrap, to laugh and chat with my long-distance scrapbook friends (and hopefully host them when they come to visit). So much potential. For now, I've got studs :)

When you walk down the basement stairs and turn left, you'll see that pole straight ahead of you. The doorway is to the right of it. And it leads into my 10 x 18 room :)

This view is from the other end of the cellar- closer to the basement door and the pellet stove (under the stairs).

My "hired" help working hard. Two walls built, one with insulation ready to go.

All 4 walls are framed out now. The electrical is run (but not finished), and insulation is in between most of the studs. We had planned to buy the sheetrock last weekend but it was too rainy to get it home safely, so we'll make some more progress soon.

In the meantime I'm trying to hold my horses! I have all sorts of ideas about paint colors and furniture and stores I want to visit... but I'm trying to hold off. Get the basics in- walls, floors and ceiling. Then start the furniture search. My dream is to use mostly reused/recycled things- old pieces with lots of characters. But if (or rather, when) I do that, there will likely be some painted pieces involved and I might want to plan a color scheme around that. Too many things to think about ;)

I am relishing the endless possibilities.

There are a few things I know I do want:

lots of color

a mixture of textures- wood, paint, metal, cork... mix it up!

lots of room to spread out scrap stuff

a comfy funky chair- just perfect for a nap, or reading or knitting

a tv, dvd player and vcr

storage (and lots of it)

wall space to hang canvas and photographs

open shelves so i can see my beautiful supplies- jars of buttons and ribbons...

So here's to possibility!

More updates to come.

La Flaca

I've been trying to reflect and write more on a daily basis. It is something I enjoy and it inspires me to do other creative things, but frankly, I stink at making time for it. So while this too may die off, I'm trying to make a conscious effort to find time for this in my day [train time is great for this]. This week I've been jotting down random thoughts, things that make me happy, tid-bits of life that inspire me, and more often than not- things that bring back great memories.

I am sure I won't post them in the order I think of them... especially since a few of them have already inspired me to take some cool photos to go along with them... So I guess I'm saying- be prepared for a lot more randomness in 2010.

Today's little tid-bit is this song: La Flaca by Jarabe de Palo

My friend Marta turned my friend Devon and I onto this song while we were visiting Marta in her hometown of Terrassa, Spain (think: Barcelona-- or click on the Terrassa link and see for yourself). Devon and I thought we were so amazingly cool for being able to spend 2+ weeks (for Devon) and 3+ weeks (for me) in Barcelona. Soaking up the culture. Meeting Marta's friends, seeing their bands play. Eating new food. Seeing the sights. It was all great.

But to this day, one of the things I remember most is loving La Flaca. It was a newer song at the time (Summer of 1998). And Marta agreed to teach us all of the words in Catalan (similar to Spanish- sorta but not really). It was not easy- though Devon picked it up faster than I did.

Wherever we went it seemed like we were always working on learning the next line. I remember being in a crowd thousands deep waiting for one of the big parades or street performances (like the human pyramids) at a local Festa Major, sitting on the grass and singing phrase by phrase, line by line until we had it down pat.

Marta had a hard time translating every word... but we understood the gist of it... not that it was the meaning of the song that interested us anyways... I did look this up today because I was thinking of it and if you're curious here's a link to the Translation.

I bought the Jarabe de palo CD containing La Flaca before I left the country and its been played in every car and CD player I've owned since then. It came with me to college where it was blared through the hallways of Leo Hall, Midrise and the Old Townhouses, and out the windows of my Oldsmobile as we tooled around Poughkeepsie, for yes, my college roommates too loved La Flaca. In fact I'm willing to bet the Laura and Amber have La Flaca on their ipod (or at least in their itunes) right this very moment.

And even now, 12 years later La Flaca is one of my favorite songs. It brings back a flood of wonderful memories of meeting new Spanish friends, attending Marta's many 18th birthday parties, going to her theater rehearsals and singing and dancing through the streets, visiting the Escamilla's summer home in Rosamar.... so many wonderful happenings. Music is definitely a powerful thing- and so is friendship!

These days Marta still lives in Spain and we do our best to email every few weeks. And we catch up on Facebook- where we had the happy chance to get to chat "live" a few weeks ago! So exciting!! And Devon lives in New York, creating wonderful recipes and blogging about her two favorite things- travel and eating (I mean cooking *wink wink). And we find ways to connect with eachother in this cyber world- for which I am ever more grateful every day!

And thus ends my La Flaca story. Click on the link. Check out the song. Its catchy ;)

Marta and Devon-- if you have any other recollections of these crazy days, lord knows everyone's memory is better than mine, please email me and I'll happily add to this little rambling.

Thanks for the memories girls (and Jarabe)!

Snowy Winters

I love winter. Yes I realize that sounds crazy, but I grew up in New England so I guess I can claim insanity or use the lame excuse that I just don't know any better. Either way, winter here is beautiful. Or more specifically the snow is beautiful

{frigid cold temperatures without any snow to enhance the atmosphere doesn't have any place in my idyllic New England winter memory}

The fact that we have a plow that Dan alone can operate means that snow is gorgeous and yet there is no back-breaking work for me. So again, really, what's not to love? Finally, living here, in the middle of nature's playground makes it even more incredible. Usually snow means slushy sidewalks and parking lots with mile-high mounds of dirt and saltiness. But not here. Snow covered tree-limbs and our long winding driveway that doesn't even look like a driveway when its caked in glittery icing is just amazing.

When we got a big storm new year's weekend and I had an extra day off, I made a point to go outside and enjoy it. I wasn't feeling all that great, but fresh air is always good, right? I was warm and geared up in my massive, black knee-high snow boots. Camera in hand, and earbuds in my ears, I was read for some laps up and down the driveway. I went up and back once, then decided to take some pictures. Every limb was just caked with snow and the sun was just beautiful. I got a few shots and then I was mesmerized by these reeds.

I took a few photos but it was tough getting it to focus on what I wanted... I took one step closer and before I knew it, I was hip-high in snow... I had stepped off the driveway into the little stream that runs underneath. So much for my big snowy nature adventure. I think I need a little more practice.

My leg was cold (above my boot), my cell phone was ringing, and my iPod was blaring...it was time to get focused. And quick. I put my camera back in its case and slide it across the driveway. Took the earbuds out and ignored the phone. Dug a hole in the snowpile at the edge of the driveway... and then boosted myself up onto {mostly} dry land. I think I literally laughed out loud at myself. This is SO something I would do. Why was I surprised?

As gung-ho as I was, that was the end of my adventure. I was soaked and freezing....

Wet pants, sore legs... adventure over.

Better luck next time.

All in good fun!

Goals for 2010

Its a new year! In theory its no different than any other new day but this year I'm especially inspired to get more of my goals accomplished. I'm not the type to set resolutions because by their very nature they seem fleeting and I'm looking for something more than that. This is stuff I want to do in my lifetime and why not this year? So let's do this thing.

Without further ado, this is what I'm striving for this year.

2010 Goals

1. Photography: Learn more. Do more. Take a class. I will sign up early for an 8 week class that starts in March. I've had my camera for 3 years now and I still know very little more than I did when I first bought it and read some tutorials online. That's not good enough. I enjoy photography and I'm so appreciative of the wonderful memories I've been able to capture but I know I can do more with more skills.

2. Start a garden: Big, small or in between. I just need to do this. Even a small herb garden will make me happy, and I think the satisfaction of having some food items go from this land to our table will incentivize me to do more.

3. Meet with a financial planner to plan for saving and paying down the 2 loans I currently have. I make enough to do this better than I am right now and I'm already making strides on my own but I do better with a plan and some accountability- and getting that from a professional should do the trick.

4. Knitting- I know the basics of knit and purl but there are scores of things I can still learn to make more intricate pieces. So this year I will take classes at the Creative Stitch, a local yarn store, and better my knitting.

5. Learn more healthy recipes to add to my weekly meal plan list (and get better at meal planning all together-- focusing on eating local and organic as much as possible).

6. Blog more. I am going to add this to my calendar and set reminders to make sure I keep up with this. This year I want to write more and this blog is a great outlet for that. So it will permanently be on my to-do list :)

7. Research new green items for the house- toothpaste, deodorant and hairspray being top on the list right now. I have already switched over many products to items I feel comfortable with. But others are tougher. This year I will make more progress in that area.

8. Write up all my notes from the various research I've done on Organics, farming, gardening, the Green Movement into something that's concise and meaningful. I have notes in my notebooks and on the computer... but I need a way to remind myself of all the things I've learned and to keep some sort of visual reminders handy when I'm tempted to buy stuff that I know is not good for me.

9. Master my Mac! I've already taken 3 classes at the Apple store and have already signed up for another. I have learned a lot but there are so many more cool things I can do with this tool.

10. Cut out soda. {so far so good! i have not had any soda yet this year}

11. Form my 2010 3Day Team- start fundraising early. At this point I'm still finalizing a team name. Once I get that submitted I'll officially be recruiting for fellow walkers who will commit to this with me. Yes, the fundraising seems scary but we can totally do this! I have a lot of great ideas for this year and I'm excited to get the ball rolling.

12. PT Exercises EVERYDAY! {still haven't been great about this thus far} My shoulder is feeling better but in building my strength and retraining my muscles I hope I can avoid the chronic pain I've been having there.

13. Improve photo editing skills. My Mac classes should help me with this. Be it iPhoto or PhotoShop- I'll take advantage of every opportunity to learn what I can about editing.

14. Plan out gifts to give throughout the year- PLAN AHEAD. I've already started the list. Now to organize and figure a way to easily track ideas.

15. Purchase coffee (out) no more than 2 times a week. Its not good for me. Its unnecessary. But I really enjoy it. Still, twice a week is plenty. And it will help me to eat out less and save more money. It all comes together :)

16. Make some of my own personal care products (organic, all natural and no artificial-anythings). I've got some recipes and once I price out some items I'll be ready to go. Homemade moisturizer here we come.

This list is very long but I'm doing my best to bite off what I can and make it work. The theme of all of these things is to live, eat and think healthier. Better food, less junk, more movement, more creativity. All of this makes for a much happier me. I know that... and yet its easy to get bogged down in the busyness of life. I will be more deliberate and thoughtful about decisions this year. My goal is to simplify and be more peaceful.

I'm very much looking forward to the year ahead.

Best of 2009

2009 definitely had its ups and downs, but in the spirit of staying positive, here's a fun photo montage of some of the best things that happened in 2009.

so without further ado...

in no particular order...

the best of 2009

in photos

Lassonde-Fortin Christmas (aka Lassonde, Fortin, Litchfield, Rowan Christmas)

It's become an annual tradition to get together with the Fortin's (who are now mostly no longer Fortin's) to celebrate Christmas and exchange gifts. This year it was a lot of fun with all 5 of the kids running around. They get along so well, which makes things easier.

Riley is pretty much obsessed with Aila! She wants to hug and kiss her, touch her, hold her, play with her- at all times.

Pretty sure the feeling is mutual :)

Its not so easy to get a good shot of all 3 girls, but this will do :)

Emelyn and her little cousin Aila.

We ended up opening presents in the loft. Willy got a guitar from Aunt Diane.

Willy also got the funniest line of the day. Someone asked him to pick up one of the presents to bring to someone else and he said "I can't. My back hurts!"

The whole room lost it!!


Some pictures of Aila in her beautiful off-white dress and cardigan (before pj time).

And her mom looks pretty beautiful too

I think there was mistletoe hanging above the couch. I wouldn't put it past my dad to hang in there.

After dinner and dessert the kids got a bit rowdy.

Willy and Riley were playing a game of Take-Down!

She may be younger, but she's a force to be reckoned with.

Good thing he loves it as much as she does!