Lazy W Marie

Carpeing all the diems in semi-rural Oklahoma...xoxo

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How I Know My Husband Doesn’t Listen to Me

   I walked outside early this morning to slip an empty pizza box in our concave burn pile, knowing that tonight we will be lighting it. Pizza boxes are excellent fire fodder, after all. And look what I discovered…

   An almost brand new wooden palette laying defeatedly on top of some dried pear tree branches.
   I would never have done this, you guys. not in my sleep, not while heavily medicated, not even under threat of bodily harm. 
   Any sane person who listens to his wife and pays attention to the wisdom of up-cycling would never so nonchalantly toss a perfectly good, plenty strong and usable wooden palette into a fire pit! Who’s with me on this? 
   Well, Handsome is on his way to the Commish now, and I have the farm to myself for the next eight to fifteen hours. So as soon as this coffee mug is empty and the animals are fed and I iron a few shirts, I have some important business that needs tending. Some up-cycling, palette-saving, creativity-nourishing type business. 
   What would YOU do with this palette? Would you make it into a vertical growing space? Or cut it apart for skinny little book shelves? Or would you find a few more just like it and stack them and add casters to make an awesome coffee table? Or how about a super cool head board? Or a spice rack? 
   See, babe? The possibilities for this simple piece of carpentry are just endless. You don’t need it for fire fodder. We have pizza boxes for that. I love you, but I am gonna have to reclaim this palette. Like, today.
P.S. I’m Only Kidding, He Listens to Me Until it Hurts.
xoxoxoxo

Some Photos from the Wedding

   Perhaps you heard the unfortunate rumor that both Handsome and I failed to charge our cameras before the much anticipated Saturday afternoon wedding. Is that the saddest thing you have heard all day? Sorry. But it’s true. All I took is a couple of Instagram shots, and so far only two other candids have surfaced from our friends. Surely more are out there, right, you guys??? Umm, guys?

   Anyway, it’s not all bad news. On Saturday we had our hands full anyway and probably would not have been very effective photographers. More importantly, our friend and a truly talented fine art photographer Luis Saenz came to the rescue. Here is a link to his incredible slideshow of Rebecca and Brian’s wedding so you can browse the beauty yourself.

   If you’re interested, you can also look at some of our Pinterest boards and see how the finished products measure up against the inspiration… Here is mine. Here is Rebecca’s. And here is Susan’s. Over the past few weeks we all used Pinterest to brainstorm, collect feedback on images and ideas, and delegate jobs. It’s not just eye candy, you nay-sayers! Pinterest actually helped us plan this wedding. LOL

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   You know how I hate to tear down a party? How I hate for it to be over and prefer to take my time letting the memories soak in nice and deep before clearing out and scrubbing up? Well this gorgeous, happy wedding has been no exception. In fact, there really are elements of it I’d kinda like to see made permanent here at the Lazy W. We’ll see how that rodeo goes. In the mean time, I’d like to share a few aftermath glimpses of what the wedding team created for our new friends…

   
   This is a view of the ceremony area around 6:45 Saturday morning. The arbor was built on a traditional brass frame borrowed form Handsome’s Mom. It has been used in countless weddings and vow renewals over the decades, so it feels pretty special. Lots of memories are wrapped up in those skinny bars, folks. On the Thursday preceding the wedding, Handsome and I walked to the Pine Forest next door and brought home several dry, naturally curved pear tree limbs and twigs to fatten up the brass frame. Then on Friday morning Debbie, Susan, and I added one strand of greenery after another, then some white flowers, then burlap ribbon, and then some hanging glass lanterns. And maybe more tulle and greenery whenever someone walked past… It was a fun canvas. 
   That scrappy “I do, We did” sign is my favorite. Thanks to Mysti for stenciling the letters, and thanks to Susan for finishing it with white paint but not dripping any on the piano!
   Back to Saturday morning… In the chaotic hours that followed this above Instagram shot, we added to the ceremony area a pair Debbie’s blue hydrangeas, right there at the entrance of the aisle. It looked so soft and bridal. And those mismatched chairs were filled with almost three dozen smiling people, all shaking hands, hugging, and celebrating a new beginning. The grass, blessedly soft, was tracked back and forth with happy, running children and one tulle-wrapped dog named Buster, but no geese. The geese skeedaddled as the crowd grew. This is good. 
   Around 8:30 Saturday morning my sweet Momma drove all the way to the farm with my two be-YOO-tiful nieces to lend us some of her larkspur. We plumped up the arbor area with two five gallon buckets filled with these wild, happy, voluptuous blooms. They were the perfect dressing for the base of the arbor. I just slipped each water-filled bucket inside a burlap coffee bean sack and called it gorgeous. Big thanks to Heather over at New House, New Home, New Life for the burlap gift certificate! 
   At the last minute, Juliana carefully placed paper fans on each chair. They had been glittered with the names of the bride and groom, and she told me she had made sure they alternated: Rebecca, then Brian, then Rebecca, then Brian… 
   I personally think these rustic flower arrangements look incredible against the distressed white obelisks we borrowed form Tyrene, Handsome’s uber talented designer sister. Isn’t that pretty? By the way, there were enough larkspur blooms to cut for both the bridal bouquet and the flower girl’s bouquet without even making a dent. Thank you Momma! I can’t wait to plant the seed heads and have my own wild meadow. The fresh flowers we collected from Mom, Debbie, and Marci the day of the wedding were my favorite element.

   
   This is a big grapevine wreath that hung outdoors the day of the wedding. We had to bring it inside early Sunday because of some pretty heavy thunderstorms. The cool-beans memory for me here is that I glued it together Friday night while watching an OKC Thunder basketball game with a room full of my favorite laughing people and a belly full of good, greasy pizza.
   Here is a glimpse of the sweets buffet. There were so many delish treats available for sampling, you guys, so very many. Having only sweets made it feel like a secret paradise. Adults and children alike filled and refilled their mismatched plates and saucers with chocolate-dipped fruits, cupcakes, pastel meringue bites, monogrammed cookies, and of course wedding cake. This Instagram shot reveals only the tail end of a fruit and marshmallow selection that sat adjacent to the chocolate fountain. See the curvy, elegant chocolate letters? Marci made these on a whim, and they added such a cool effect. We had a team of really talented, really out-pouring people working on this wedding. I know I am not the only one who feels like we were all part of some extra special memory making.
   Again, no luck on snapping shots of the cake on display… Though I do believe Luis has some in his slideshow. Here is a photo of the bride’s cake in the cake-maker’s fridge. It is wrapped in scripture, you guys. So beautiful and so perfect for this couple. The groom’s cake was a half sheet, chocolate in every way, and frosted to look like a tuxedo. 
   More of the sweet leftovers and the flowers that we brought in out of first the rain and then the steamy heat. As I sit here typing out my memories, a plate of cupcakes is whispering terrible things to me. Or, as Charles Barkley would say, turrbull things.
   Brian and Rebecca chose a special song for their special day… “All Your Life” by the Band Perry.
   To incorporate their memory and amp up the rustic feel of the wedding, we made this chalkboard. Handsome found a long sheet of scrap plywood in our barn loft and cut it to about six feet long. Then over the course of a work day I sprayed it with layer after layer of chalkboard paint. Long after sunset on Friday night, Marci’s kiddos primed it with colored chalk. Enthusiastically. On the day of the wedding Susan very sweetly filled it with the song lyrics. Then we just propped the chalkboard up between some trees at the wedding reception and walked around humming the tune…
I just wanna be the only girl you love all your li-iii-iii-iiife…
   This was one of the prettiest details in my opinion. Another nod to the Band Perry song, Rebecca wanted sand in very old mason jars, some clear and some that wonderful antique aqua blue color, all topped with candles. We borrowed most of these jars from Maribeth. And yes, we did burn the candles, even though it was a morning wedding. And the effect was quietly dazzling. Thanks for remembering to light them, Marci!
   Wait, maybe this is my favorite part. I deeply regret not photographing the original wild exuberance of our reception trees all dressed in their white and blue finery, but here is a two-days-later shot. It’s still pretty fun looking if you ask me, but seeing those trees freshly draped with paper streamers blowing in the Oklahoma wind was enough to make me laugh out loud! What was even more fun than the finished product was watching our volunteer kiddos throw and wrap the stuff everywhere! Awesome. Just plain fantastic.
   Do this at your house at your next party. No, wait, do it now. As soon as possible. Yes, I am suggesting that you tipi your own property. With great, exaggerated, overhanded arm movements. You can’t not be cheeered up when your very old, very serious trees look this great! And it erased any doubt as to where the reception was being held. These streamers and the sheet music pennants constructed by Susan, Debbie, and Rebecca’s nephew made the shady smokehouse grove extra special. Thank you, Carolyn, for providing all of that lovely sheet music! And thank you Debbie and Rebecca for all the ironing of mismatched linens for the reception tables!
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   Well, so much more happened that day. We danced the chicken dance. We ate and giggled. We posed inside empty wooden frames. We admired the bride and got to know a few new faces. We threw seeds at the happy couple as they left for their honeymoon. The stories and details abound, but I am fresh out of wedding photos. I hope you took a few minutes to go look at Luis’ slideshow, and I hope you have enjoyed this. We sure have. More important than the creativity and friendship, though, has been that we are all witness to the start of a new love story. We are all fortunate to be embedded in this family’s beginning, and they in turn are embedded in us.
   Sincerest congratulations, Brian and Rebecca! We wish you thousands of happy, special days ahead. We wish you captured sand for wishes fulfilled and millions of fireflies to brighten the dark corners. Thank you so much for letting all of us be part of your wedding. The Lazy W is a richer place now because of it.
Believe in Lightning Bolts
xoxoxo

This Past Week

   Life is brimming these days you guys, with activity and love, with work and play, with little time to sit down for reading and writing. As this coming week progresses, I hope to share with you guys both photos and stories, but for now… while a pot of water boils for some midday pasta… a quick run down:

  • Josh, our couch surfer, visited. He brought this little dog Ben. We made him work and play outdated video games and then we all watched funny crash clips and I made some saltine toffee with chocolate.
  • The okra, tomatoes, soy beans, squash, flowers, sweet corn, green beans, cucumbers, peppers, and herbs are all growing like bananas. But there are no bananas growing. But I am considering some grape vines.
  • My two beautiful daughters and their adorable stepbrother spent a day at the farm last week. We made smoothies, played with the animals, and talked. We talked so much. They are growing and changing faster than ever but still remaining the same. My heart is full.
  • We’ve been watching lots of excellent NBA basketball, allowing our Thunder fever to build to a rolling boil. They playoffs have been hot from the beginning, and the fun continues tonight with another game against the Lakers here in OKC. 
  • We’ve been doing lots of gardening, cleaning, rearranging, crafting, and decorating all over this crazy place. It has been a blast and worth every second.
  • Handsome has lit and tended a few blazing bonfires this week. I love the lingering fragrance out there the next morning.
  • The past week has borne us some ridiculous egg collecting. Ridiculous. 
  • Because of our unusual schedule, Handsome and I have had a little less home cooking than we’re used to and more eating out, but that is getting fixed today. To. Day.
  • Late nights of laughing our faces off, both alone and with great friends.
  • A small group of bees has been spotted drinking en force at the edge of the pond. This is cool, you guys. They are finding their way around the farm and are thriving. 
  • I shipped some  Green Goose products to California to see if my lil’ sis can peddle textiles as hard as she skates and breaks.
  • Wedding. Did I ever tell you we were hosting a wedding? It was this past Saturday. It was so beautiful and happy…xoxo
  • We scooted off to a car show this Saturday too but forgot our wallets. It was post wedding and sans any real meal that day, and we were so very hungry. My stomach growls now when I think about it.
  • Saturday night we slipped into short but intense comas then spontaneously woke up at midnight to watch a recorded basketball game. I ate a weirdly satisfying dinner of excessively sweet watermelon (seven and a half slices) and excessively salty almonds and cashews (three handsful).
  • At church on Sunday we barreled through the book of Jude. Do you have any idea how interesting that stuff is?
  • I ran out of deodorant and bobby pins. Oh well.
  • We hosted and thoroughly enjoyed our nephew’s vow renewal on Sunday afternoon.
  • I attended Oklahoma Blogger’s Ball #2 at  Red Dirt Kelly’s  house and came home further inspired and further motivated! I also brought with me a branch of fresh oregano from Katie and a sample jar of decorator paint from Allison.
  • Some excessive but much needed sleep has graced both our bed and our couch.
  • I keep forgetting to go pick up a prescription.
  • Missed the flippin solar eclipse, yo.
  • And I really, really want to leave some of the wedding decorations up around the farm. They are so happy and beautiful, it just feels so good.
   I am going to go take another nap, okay? I hope all of you have had a magical week and are all set for a great new series of adventures and accomplishments!  
High Five, Yo. I’ll be in Touch.
xoxoxo

Quick Farm Update

   How grows your garden so far? Is your corner of the universe lending you regular sky showers and plenty of warm, windless days to sow your seeds? Our new raised beds have been like a playground for me this month. Clean, level, and packed with compost and black soil, they draw me out every morning and seduce me into slipping just one more herb or just one more packet of seeds into an empty space. At last count I had nestled almost twenty squash plants in the dirt out there and almost that many peppers and tomatoes. It’s a numbers game, you guys.

   We also now have a bed jam packed with what will become edamame, thanks to a gift from our neighbor Robby, and we are celebrating the rise of the green bean tipi. But you know what? Some of what I have been doing in the garden this past week is sort of against regulation. Oklahoma is smack in the middle of a waning moon, which means I should have been focusing more on weed removal and soil cultivation than the installation of above ground crops. The thing is, I lack willpower.

      Things are growing steadily and with few obstacles, and more importantly Rebecca’s wedding is just a few days from now; so the temptation to plant new stuff is just too strong to resist! The photo above, though, is actually an old clematis vine. One which I believed to have perished in last year’s heat wave. But look! Just like the abandoned, rusty blue bike from the Pine Forest, she made a comeback! When I look at this pairing I see three months into the future, when that misshapen front wheel is draped lavishly with green vines and heavy blossoms. And then I go plant some more seeds.

   Before we all go scoot to our Tuesday chores and appointments, will you be kind as to cast a vote? Yesterday I collected lots of normal chicken eggs… and then the behemoth egg you see on the right in this photo. It is heavy, folks. And I have yet to crack it open to see its contents, but it could be a goose egg. Before you vote, here are some facts:

  • This giant egg was found in the same nesting box as six average sized hen eggs.
  • That nesting box is about three feet off the ground, inside the chicken coop.
  • The geese have in fact been sleeping in the coop lately, but…
  • Momma Goose is, well, she’s just not athletic.
  • But seriously, that is a big egg. And it is as heavy as a brick, no kidding.
   
   We have a predatory snake robbing eggs this past month (more on that soon), and I kind of imagine him catching a glimpse of that beasty egg and suffering a phantom gagging-choking event then slithering away, empty bellied.
   So far I have two votes for this being a double-yolker chicken egg and one vote for it being a goose egg. Once I hear from a few more of you adventurous souls I’ll crack it open and see what’s going on inside that pretty shell.
   Is it a goose egg or just a huge chicken egg, maybe a double yolker?
   Have an amazing day, friends! I am headed outside with my last cup of coffee. The bees need to discuss something important, and the horses have asked to play in the pond. 
   Waning Moon reminder: Pull those weeds this week! The moon is full again this Sunday.
But Then Again,
Gardening Rules are Made to Be Broken, Right?
xoxoxo  

Trading Wrath for Gratitude

   Today I cracked open our book club’s current selection, which we’ll discuss over dinner in June, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Just in case you don’t know, this is a novel partially set in my beloved home state of Oklahoma, during the brutal Depression and Dust Bowl. It follows the struggle of a native Oklahoma family who suffers from all the ramifications of the agricultural and economic failures of that time. This was a century ago, but how many bells are ringing in your heart right now?

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   I sat down to start this papery adventure after a morning of cruising junk and antique shops that were as lovely as they were tiny and unique, spending a few dollars on perfectly frivolous luxuries. I bought a heavy turquoise pendant handing from an old shoelace; a super long chain necklace with a kitschy locked heart charm at the bottom that desperately wants to be gold when it grows up; a medium sized but tarnished silver tray with wooden handles, the kind you use to serve breakfast in bed or maybe decorate a vintage-themed outdoor wedding which is coming up in seven days; three threadbare cotton handkerchiefs; a set of pink seashell-encrusted salt and pepper shakers from Florida; and an opulently  matted and framed oil painting for my dining room. None of these things were expensive (though the oil painting really should have been), but I acknowledge that none of them are really necessary, either. My life is brimming with undeserved luxury, and I know it.

   In addition to the material bounty, it happens that I soaked up the first four chapters of Grapes of Wrath while soft, cool rain fell in steady showers all over this grand land and flowers bloomed in every available container.

   The stark contrast between feast and famine, parched and verdant, would not be lost on any reader.
   This year, today, in this entire lifetime, I am so grateful. For the rain which is nourishing us again and for the milder temperatures we are enjoying at the moment. For the fields that are stacked deep and dotted and dressed with hundreds of beautiful, golden bales of soft hay. For every lake, river, and pond that glimmers past its banks with clean water. For the animals and gardens that feed not just our bellies, but also our souls. For the people who drive and toil toward every paycheck, especially my husband who has my deepest admiration.
   I am so thankful for living, breathing romance and for solid friendships and for children with better memories than I had feared. I am thankful that for every heartache we see hope. That for every frustration we eventually find relief. And that for every drought, somehow, mercifully, we get to see green again. I am really thankful that my bees are happy and that my watermelon vines are blooming, you guys. You cannot even imagine!
“The unthankful heart… discovers no mercies; 
but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, 
as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, 
some heavenly blessings!”  
~Henry Ward Beecher
   I still believe very much in miracles. The small, nearly imperceptible sort that we sometimes call minutiae and also the most shocking, most unlikely ones, the ones that make headlines. Naturally tragedies continue and not every prayer is answered the way we expect. But unplanned joy and sudden relief are also facts of life. We just have to seek them out and then celebrate them when they appear. 
   Enjoy the lushness while you have it, however it looks for your life, today. Cultivate joy. Give thanks. Wear way too many necklaces that don’t match, it’s probably fine. Keep hope simmering on the back burner. It will nourish you from the inside out and ready you for the next lean year.
By the Way, Someone is Grateful for You, Too.
xoxoxoxo