perfectly perfect

By day's end I realized that the day had been perfect.  Perfectly perfect.  It was not one thing, or even the right combination of things.  It was everything.

The sky.  The sand.  The water.

Cousins.  Always cousins.

Breathing.  Deeply.  Contentedly.

The accomplishment of the high dive.  And going over and over and over again.

Learning a new game.  And winning first place.

Sandcastle building.  And winning first place.

A day that felt like a vacation.  A real vacation (but without the travel and packing.)

A day with many cousins around to lighten the load, and make the deep, contented breathing possible.

Lunch, and later, dinner.  Feasts prepared and brought by my Mama.

The sky and its many colors as hour upon hour passed.

Enjoying the smell of natural water on my skin, in my hair, on all of the kids.

Sand that has smoothed the rough edges, and not just on the bottoms of my feet.

A dock in the deep end to swim to.  Sitting there, talking and laughing with my sister.  I laid down to worship the sun.  Then did back dives off of the side.

Laughter.  And sunscreen.  And watermelon.  And family.  And sky, sand, and water.

Staying until the sun was well into setting.  With kids asleep moments after leaving for home.

Everything summer, perfectly perfect.

weekending {or falling in love}

Mary Poppins is in my head because I keep thinking practically perfect in every way.  I can't get it out of my head, sort of like when you are falling in love and can't stop thinking about the person.  Well that was a recent weekend of mine, practically perfect.  And if you follow me on Twitter (@bcomingclaudine) you likely realize that I have fallen in love with The Flea.

I spent the Saturday of that practically perfect weekend with one of my dearest friends wandering that cool, urban market.  The sun was shining, live music wafted on the warm breeze, at every turn there was something interesting, or cool, or quirky, or simply lovely to discover.

We browsed vintage clothing, handmade jewelry, delightful decor, interesting books.

The food stations and trucks were offering local, homemade, fresh.  How can you decide between mini fresh-made donuts and creamery ice cream?  Hint: you can't, you try both.

That delightful blue typewriter had a SOLD tag early in the day.  Had some lucky buyer not been there first, it would have come home with  me for a mere $45.

I did find a couple treasures.  This delightful re-purposed spoon that has been stamped.  I love how it reminds me to "bloom where you are planted."  And the vintage sorting toy.  The wood pieces are long gone, but I loved the sweet cards on the side.  I may use it for art supplies, but for now, it is part of my spring display that includes a print from the lovely Phoebe Wahl.

Perhaps the best treasure was carving a day out for myself, with a "Wonder" woman (did you notice her jacket) who knows me, affirms me, and makes stories and laughter come so easily.  Made sweeter by The Flea.

Falling in love, indeed. 

weekending

Busy.  Hard.  Good.  Busy. 

Did I say hard?  And good?

This weekend reminded me so much of what the amazing Glennon describes as "brutiful." Brutal and beautiful.  Those seemingly disparate qualities coming together to make complexity and nuance and texture of this one life.

I spent the weekend vacillating between these feelings of beautiful and brutal.  Recognizing the very good taking place, like this, and the opening of registration for gladsome.  But also feeling deeply the tough stuff going on.  Some challenges coming up, some decisions to be made, much work to be done.  And doing so amongst the pulls and pushes of parenting a lively tribe of kids.

Then I look closely at some of the pictures I took.  The one above is part of a series of photos of these sweet siblings as they tried to swing and hold hands at the same time.  Their laughter was loud and their attention focused as they reached out to one another.  So often missing, but continuing to try, smiles splitting wide open even if just their fingertips touched.

And I want to be like them.  Laughing.  Reaching.  Focused.  Smiling.


~~ Joining Amanda in weekending. ~~

weekending

Friday afternoon

Saturday afternoon

Sunday afternoon

Outside, inside
Sun and snow
Play, play, play
A morning cup of coffee and magazine reading
Family movie night
A mid-winter bonfire
And watercolors
A mama as calm as I've been in weeks (thanks to that luxurious solo fresh-air hike)
A visit from a college cousin, along with her, um, special friend who is a boy
Cookie baking
Tackle and tickle
Basketball playing for hours in the makeshift court in Munchkin's room
And sledding in shorts

A weekend full of play and connection and tenderness.  Easy from tip to tail and wrapped in a calm go-along-ness that reminded me of exactly what a weekend should be.

~ ~ ~
weekending with Amanda.  Join in, won't you?

weekending

Not busy, not unbusy.  Good in productive ways.  Good in relaxing ways.

I abandoned my phone for most of Saturday and really felt the weekend in ways I haven't in a long, long while.  I've been reading Hands Free Mama, and I know that it will change me, is changing me.  Slowly and well.  Returned to my phone just in time to get an invite from a close friend to go to the theatre with her.  Nothing like a lively musical to fully feel the day.

Pictures, that had long been propped and piled up, were finally hung in the sun-room/sewing room/play room/art space/hideaway - easily my favorite space in the house.  Luckily we can use the room year-round, though it does trend toward chilly these short days of winter.  The hooks and frames are hung so I can easily move and change photos, add art, hang creations, highlight a sewing project.  I might just fall in love with how this space will reflect creating of all kinds.

I said hello to my sewing machine that has not been touched since before Christmas (!) and to the overflowing basket of things to be sewn.  I still didn't touch it, but did say "hello."

There has been Legos and drawing and boys adventuring in the woods.

Later today is a long-awaited phone call for some gladsome brainstorming.  Soon there will be details for 2014, soon I promise!

Tonight, we'll drag the TV upstairs one last time and watch the closing ceremonies for the Olympics.  There has been some serious cuddling, and falling asleep, in front of the TV for kiddos these past couple weeks.  A definite treat for us all.  The Downton Abbey finale will have to wait for tomorrow.

Weekending yes, busy, unbusy, productive, relaxing.  Certainly all good, very very good.