Ya Yas

Spring Zing

Cow Calling

This image reminded me of a "cow tale" of my own. We had just recently moved in to our cabin in Round Hill in 2002. City girl from Arlington gone country. Round Hill and Purcellville were still quite small town. Pville had one traffic light. One grocery store if you call Food Lion a grocery store. Al's Pizza and the White Palace were the only restaurants. We moved in during a blizzard on President's Day weekend. I had taken a few days off to get moved in. On my first morning back to work. I looked out our bedroom window and was astonished to see 6 huge heifers milling around in our driveway and yard!!! I had to call my boss and left a vm saying...ok so I know this sounds as far fetched as it gets but I am going to be late getting in because I have a herd of cows surrounding my car. Our neighbor from "down the way" came moseying up with coffee in hand and scratching his head....he and his wife became good neighbor friends of ours.

Round Hill Cabin for Rent

Charming Log Stone Federal Style House on 1 acre. Stone walls. Mature Trees. Lush Gardens. 3 bedrooms. 2 full baths. 2 fireplaces. Heart Pine Floors. Wonderful Woodgrove Community. Great schools and fabulous neighbors! Convenient to: Shopping, Loudoun Transit. Greenway, Toll Road, Dulles Airport. Our current renter has been with us for 3 years! Available April 1st with credit check, first month rent and security deposit. Will consider pets with approval and pet deposit.
Open House today! Call Amy 703-981-9037 or Tommy at 703-598-8562 to see by appt this week.
35691 Williams Gap Road
Round Hill VA 20141

Nonna

From Collages

A great woman leaves this earth soon. Too soon. Darren's Nonna. Ivan's Mother. A woman I admire. Giving, strong, nurturing, loving, so kind. On the outside I had no actual relation to this woman. In reality she taught me so very much when I was first pregnant with Darren and in his first years. The only thing she based loving me on was carrying her first grandson. She honored me for this. She treated me at the time as if I were a delicate thing. I am indebted to you Nonna for who Darren is today. Your love for him has made a huge impact and will continue to.

Thank You
God Speed
Amy

Things I Learned on Saturday Night

Saturday was one of those uber fabulous- long time coming - Girl's Saturday Nights. Enter my "Southie Gal Pal" Maria who flew in from Boston...with a layover I tell ya. Never mind she landed on Friday night at Midnight. That didn't prevent us from giggling till 4am. Ok back to Saturday. Beautiful weather, poking at Sarah Jean's Yard Sale, Slices of Pie from Al's Pizza in Purcellville. Sun shining all the while. Back to Clover. Enter Sarah and Kathie (our new BFF) and let the fun and festivities begin. We broke in the Urban Cowgirl Love Shack in only the way 4 women can...laughing till we er..ok it was I that peed my pants. There was a woman there that each of us had never met before much less peed our pants with! We laughed, got philosophical, ate, danced, and drank much. We had great tunes in the background and sweet "Babygirls" Faith watching over us.

So things I learned

1. Get in the car, train and/or plane and GO see a girlfriend who plasters the cracks, makes you laugh HARD and no matter how much time has elapsed you just love love love her all over again and then some.
2. The older I get spontanaeity eludes me. Ditch it once in a while and let loose.
3. I need to pre-cook and get food and staples set up for quests before I start drinking red wine. HOW DO I NOT KNOW THIS BY NOW!?
4. Tommy is a SAINT. I was such a BRAT when he got home Sunday morning and Maria and I were HUNGTHEHELLOVER. He makes coffee for me no matter what.
5. HELL-O Amy...you still have zero build up tolerance and there is no platuea when you drink your beloved red wine. And that is OK! Once in a while.
6. When I am around newer friends I always miss my oldest friends more and appeciate the newer ones.
7. Whether you liken yourself Skinny or Fat...it's all a state of mind. Ditch this too!
8. Girlfriends promote an attitude of gratitude. I just don't know where I'd be.....
9. I have an affection for seeing my life through someone else's eyes. More gratitude!
10. As complex as we may be..we can rock it!

Kid Grafitti

For all the Mommies. OMG I thought this kid grafitti inspired furniture was awesome! What a way to preserve your kids artwork. I was always blown away by the amazing art that came from our kids up to the ages of 9 to 10. We have some of it preserved in boxes in the garage. They have real raw talent and their individuality of expression has not been yet squashed up to a certain age. I'll let my Grandbabies do a chair or a sofa some day! Also, I have heard that the chalkboard paint is pretty easy and fun for a play room or a wall in the kitchen. Benjamin Moore carries a eco friendly water based acrylic paint called Studio Finish 307 Chalkboard Paint.

My Urban Cowgirl Cave

Who ever said a shed can't be Chic just didn't have any imagination. This is our shed off the side of our Clover Cottage. On a rare spring like day over a week ago I was in the shed doing a cleanup. Once inside, I realized it had an amazing view of our property and pond. I started exploring our garage for treasures and the "Love Shack" started coming together. The iron gate was salvaged from the fire. The "wanted" and "yee ha" signs were from Tommy's 40th Bday celebration years ago. It was a cowboy themed 4oth. The settee was donated to us. The chair I've had for a couple of years thinking I would one day reupholster it. The striped skirt is actually a fitted sheet that I picked up on clearance for $4. The solid wood angel wing survived the fire some how! Unreal! I threw an old rug down and flipped it over as a base. The runner I picked up at the Lucketts Spring Fair last summer. The K, S and S iron letters I had had for years but could never find the right I. So I improvised by using a bud vase upside down. We broke the Love Shack in over the weekend with a girl get together and Dixie Chicks blaring in the background. Yee Haw!! Come have a glass of wine with us and watch the geese sometime.

Courtney King Dye Tribute T-Shirts

Olympic dressage star Courtney King-Dye remains in a coma after her fall from a horse while training on March 3rd. Courtney was part of the 2008 Summer Olympic Equestrian team. While looking for details on her condition I came across these tribute T-shirts on Etsy. Sales of these t-shirts will help raise money towards her medical care. http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42899160

To send words of encouragement to her and her family www.comebackcourt@gmail.com

You Cannot Give Up

Below is an excerpt from the February issue of Science of Mind. The article was titled "Loving Who You Are". As a woman in today's world and all of it's expectations ...that is a tall order on some days. Not on the easy days. The concept is easy when you are "on" and getting it all done for everyone and can check off most of the ridiculous amount of boxes each day and still sort of liking who is staring back at you when you happen to glance in the mirror. Those are the easy days I think for most women. Harder to love yourself when you feel overwhelmed, underwhelmed, less productive by insane standards, not chipper, and the armor is beyond dinged up.... this described acceptance of self in a way that deeply touched me. To think of my "self" as a friend. Treat her like your best friend with grace and a loving ear and kind feedback.

Yet, I will sit down with myself, put a silky arm around my bony shoulders, sit and pray and be. I will not harm this self by wishing for a different moment. I will not push her aside, anxious to move on. I will sit with this self and be her friend. I will sit there until the sun goes down and rises and burns itself out. I will never leave. She will feel my love and heal herself. She will know what to do and when to do it.

- You cannot give up on some aspect of yourself or life and believe in abundant Grace at the same time. Self judgement doesn't keep you savvy. It keeps you ignorant and uninvolved with reality. You will never uncover your true destiny if you can't forgive yourself for yesterday's choices. You are always doing the best you can in any given moment.