So anyway… somehow I got hooked on this word of the year thing. At first I tried to be all cynical about such things and sneer at the idea. I also couldn’t think of anything that really resonated. Then the other day something stuck. I can’t even remember what made it stick. Or what brought it to mind but, before I knew it I had a word. I looked up the definition and it became even more firmly stuck. And now I have a word for this year. Crazy. I know. No, that’s not my word. My word is Flourish. (If you couldn’t tell from the title of the post.)

Flourish

intransitive verb

1. : to grow luxuriantly : thrive
2. a : to achieve success : prosper <a flourishing business>
   b : to be in a state of activity or production <flourished around 1850>
   c : to reach a height of development or influence
3. : to make bold and sweeping gestures

transitive verb

1. : to wield with dramatic gestures : brandish

noun

1. : an act or instance of brandishing or waving
2. a : a florid bit of speech or writing <rhetorical flourishes>
   b : an ornamental stroke in writing or printing
   c : a decorative or finishing detail <a house with clever little flourishes>
3. : fanfare
4. a : a period of thriving
   b : a luxuriant growth or profusion <a flourish of white hair> <a springtime flourish of color>
5. : showiness in the doing of something <opened the door with a flourish>
6. : a sudden burst <a flourish of activity>

So now… What to do with the word. I’m not really sure but I did sign up for an online class to explore or focus or whatever one does with their word. Also, it’s a chance to be creative and revive those skills I’ve been letting languish for a very long time. Maybe it will even give me the push to put my craft closet together.

Mai Tai One On (Book 1 of the Tiki Goddess Series) by Jill Marie Landis is a promising start to a new series. As a fan of mystery series I have read my way through quite a few offerings out there. The Hawaiian location interspersed with local vocabulary, quirky characters and hints at a romance for our lead Em poise this to be a winner in the genre.

Murder, (poor) hula dancing and exotic drinks tested by a parrot seem to be what it takes to make me want to visit Kauai and read the next book in this series.

I suggest you get this if you enjoy other murder mystery series with a light heart and a quirky vibe.

Should I attempt to reupholster this chair?

I’m trying to decide if I should buy this. I know right where I want to put it. It’s been reupholstered recently. Beautiful job too. Unfortunately the choice of fabric is not to my taste at all. But, for $32 it seems like it should come home with me. Thoughts?

{one} how many times have you been a bridesmaid/maid of honor?
Maid of honor once for my mom. Bride’s matron? Once.

{two} what’s the last thing your do before you fall asleep at night?
I watch a little bit of TV or read a book.

{three} you just won your dream vacation, all expenses paid. where are you going?
Europe or an island somewhere warm. Depends on the season.

{four} what is your favorite outdoor activity?
Reading. With a cold drink and no one trying to talk to me.

{five} as a child, what did you want to “be when you grew up”? did you end up there?
Pilot, photographer, interior designer, architect, teacher. Uh, no. But I have taught in the past, have done photography and am currently trying my hand at decorating my house. So…

{six} what are 3 things your dream home would have that you don’t currently have?
This new house has pretty much everything I’ve wanted. Can I say a maid? A maid. That would be #1, 2 AND 3.

{seven} what’s for dinner tonight?
Not a clue. There is baseball practice and a soccer game tonight. Also a husband that’s working extra hours. Not sure I’ll have time to cook.

{eight} if someone stopped by your house unannounced on a typical Saturday night, what would they find you doing?
Saturdays are very random. It’s rare we have stuff planned – one of the only nights of the week actually. But most likely? Cleaning the kitchen. I’m ALWAYS cleaning the kitchen.

{nine} what’s your average monthly water bill?
Average water bill in the old house was actually water and sewer which was $50/mo. Now it’s just water but we haven’t gotten a bill yet.

{ten} what do you do to relax?
Read, watch tv, knit, and when I’m really lucky in the summer – a pedicure.

Alas, the sun has gone and more rain is expected. Have I mentioned how over the rain I am? It seems as if it will never dry out around here. The ark jokes are not even funny anymore.

The new house is lovely. I even bought some plants for the yard. Yes, it seems it’s my year to garden. Maybe. I find I am willing to dig in the dirt about every five years. So as soon AS THE SUN RETURNS I will be digging. I hope it goes well since this will probably be it for many years.

The plants came from Flower Days at the Public Market. Somehow I’ve never attended this flower filled event. Unbelievable I know! I’ve lived in this area for about TWENTY YEARS… my God, am older than dirt… and never managed a trip downtown for the event. It of course it was cold and rainy on Sunday. The good news was it wasn’t very crowded because of this. Even without the crowds I got very overwhelmed and probably would have left without buying anything but luckily I brought a friend who kept me calm. We did a walk through to survey the goods and then went back and purchased what we wanted. Let me just say, that was the perfect way to handle it. One, no carrying heavy pots around and two, better to price things and narrow down before actually purchasing. Still, by the end of the walk through I was completely overwhelmed and not sure what to buy. I had to refocus on what I originally wanted and then picked up a few annuals at the booths I was already buying from.

So what did I get? Well, the big purchase was two gorgeous Rhododendrons in the traditional light purple. They had some lovely maroonish ones but I decided to stick with the traditional that reminded me of my youth (so important in us ancient ones). I picked up a bunch of basil, mint and coriander. Also got some gerber daisies, poppies and begonias. Why have I never taken notice of begonias before? They were amazing! So lovely. Maybe once I get them in the ground or the rain stops falling I’ll take some photos to put up here.

In other news, I’ve been baking tons with my new kitchenaid (thanks honey for the Mother’s Day gift!!!) and new double oven. The kids are thrilled with the baking of course because it means yummy treats for them. The scale however is very unhappy with me. Well, too bad scale. I’m having fun, enjoying homemade treats and making people smile.

I’ve also gotten even more crunchy. We’re still composting and recycling of course but now our garbage pickup takes even more recycling then the old one. We are down to about 2 – 13 gallon kitchen bags a week. For six people! And even then, one of them is usually not full. Also, there are still always extra people and kids around. I was a little worried that the kids would stop showing up now that we live further from school but that has not been the case. I’m so glad. I love having people hanging out everywhere. Makes me happy. (Plus, more excuses to bake!)

Oh, and on the crunchy front I’m going natural with cleaners and a steam mop to go along with the cloth napkins, hand towels and old rags instead of paper towels and napkins. I’m thinking I’ll be making my own laundry and dish detergent soon. I know! Who am I?

The boxes are slowly getting unpacked. So far my cake pans and measuring cup seem to have gone missing in the move but those I can definitely replace. The living room hasn’t been touched. Except the other night I hung a bunch of pictures on the nails left behind from the previous owners. Then I made Jeff take them all down because they were giving me anxiety. Yes, he agrees, I’m a freak. I have no idea why but I couldn’t stand them hanging just randomly like that. I prefer them in a box until I have a plan of some sort.

The bedrooms are mostly done. The kitchen is done. The rest? Well, we’re getting there. I haven’t even started painting yet! I did manage to change the hardware in the kitchen though. It made it so much calmer and updated looking.

Sorry about the poor quality of the photos. The one that is probably the closest to how they look in real life is the bottom right. So the top two? Shiny worn brass that came with the house. NOT my style at all. Bottom two? Antique pewter. Ahhhh, anxiety gone. And the change also totally toned down the oak color. Looks much more mellow now. Now, tell me what you think…