A Small Green Obsession

Clovers are near and dear to my heart.  From my childhood I remember my mother more often than my father on certain things and clover looking is one of them.When I went to college my mother gave me a clover that I have yet to kill.  She told me that it was from the clover she had when I was born.  When Cole was born I started a new one from my original one and let's just say it hasn't died yet, but it has tried.

I can't remember a time when I haven't looked for a four-leaf clover.    I am obsessed about looking for a four-leaf clover and when walking I'm often looking down trying to spot one of nature's "deformities".   I have a theory that mom knew I'd always want to find one and this activity kept me out of her hair for a good 20 minutes at a time.

Still to this day when I am at the park for a picnic or sitting in the yard, you'll catch me combing through (visually or literally) a patch of clover. I remember that the first four-leaf clover I found was  David Libscomb College in Nasheville in 1990-1991when Stacey was there for Odyssey of the Mind (I think).  All I remember was it was a warm spring day (not like the almost summer we are having today) and there was a large lawn.  Sometime the next year I learned that where there is one four-leaf clover there is usually two--genetics and all--in the same vein as how my sister ended up with blue eyes and I ended up with green.

Yesterday, I bent down for more clover looking and found this.  Most of you saw it on facebook.  Yes, there was a second one and no I didn't clip that one.  Just the one you see here.  No one should be greedy with luck.  There is enough to go around. 

I love the life lesson that what society sees as something unique (the four-leaf clover) is actually not the common rule in nature.  Clover to me is a really beautiful plant/weed.  I like to think that we should hold dear those things which makes us different.  At least for me, I plan on framing my little reminder of luck. (and I totally know where to find it again--thank you genetics).

UPDATED 3-19-12:
I asked the neighbor if I could dig up this little clover and they said yes so now I'm growing my own luck !(unless it voluntarily dies on its own, of course.)

An afternoon of beauty making

Today, I spent the afternoon with Sydney, my 7-yr old friend. We had a lotion playdate, which also included an imoromptu trip to CVS for nail polish. She made a new smell out of coconut and vanilla that we called "white chocolate".

She made her own labels and her "private" label is Blue Sparkle. She also helped make a sugar salt scrub that I have wanted to try that I used in Key West. Below is the picture. You use equal parts cane sugar, sea salt and grapeseed oil. We both loved it. Now, to perfect that hand salve.

Back in the 80's, They Would Have Called That Cheap

That was a comment from my boss last year when Catherine and I started carpooling to work.  He's right. In the Eighties our environmentalism would have been as foreign as grocery store sushi or doggie daycares. (Hey, it's not our fault carpooling is good on the budget too.)

We manage to carpool at least once a week, most of the time twice and three times if we are lucky. We've been carpooling a year now and it is in this 25 minute commute (one-way--a total of 50 minutes a day) that I get some great advice or learn some new helpful tip. (This carpooling thing may also have therapy benefits. Wonder if I can use my health care flex card on gas?)

I would love to take credit, but it is Catherine who told me about this one. Who needs to buy a boot tree when one is a wine drinker?

If you have any other wine drinking leftover ideas, feel free to share them in the comment section.   I'm not scared of a bottle of wine or a glue gun craft.