little shrines

One thing that I have learned about my decorating style -- if you can call it a style -- is that I tend toward creating "little shrines" throughout the house.

These shrines aren't planned and designed and carefully put in place.  No, the shrines generally become collections of objects that mean something.  (Note:  these shrines are not to be confused with very different collections of objects that sometimes always find themselves in piles about the house like old mail, toy bits and pieces, rubber bands, pencil stubs, and other detritus that has not yet found a home.)

Sometimes these shrines are photos, trinkets, treasures made by my children.

Sometimes these are stacks of books, in various stages of being read, whose titles are currently on my heart.

Sometimes these are creations of my own, that I hang or place because they have meaning, or are encouraging me in some way.

Sometimes they are rocks.

Yes, rocks. 

Rocks on my windowsills to be more precise.

Rocks painted by my children.

Rocks stamped with relevant words.

Rocks that have been gifts to me.

Rocks found in the pockets of children's coats following a nature hike in the park.

Many of these rocks have found their way onto my windowsills.

And, like any other shrine, I gaze on them gratefully.  Ever appreciative for the way they represent positive memories, moments connecting to our earth and affirmation of much good in this life of mine.

What objects would be in your windowsill shrine?

discovering

If you've been reading for awhile you know that this year I am on a journey of discovering.

Discovering as much as possible.

I've been discovering some little things, like:
* board game rules are completely relative to a pre-schooler
* kids helping in the kitchen takes twice as long, but is twice as fun
* laundry never ends (wait that is kind of a big thing...there is aLOT of laundry here)

I've been discovering some big things, like:
* I am ready to change my work life
* I am afraid to change my work life

This is a bit about it:
I want to be able to create in many different ways every day:  with my hands, my camera, my voice.  And with that creating, I want to make just enough of a living to be more present with my family, more present in the every day moments of my life, and be more present to the creative life to which I am called.

That I know.

I also am discovering that what is holding me back in making this change is fear.

That yucky four letter word.

Fear of failure.

Fear that it could be a disastrously wrong decision.

Fear that I am no-way, no-how good enough.

Fear that once change has begun, I can't retreat to to my current place of confidence in my work life.

So this fear is getting the best of me.  It is keeping me in my comfort zone,  in my life of certain and stable and capable.

But the desire to take that leap of faith, to grab onto the daydreams and beauty and creativity won't subside either.

So I am discovering that there is a fine line between comfort and constriction...

I am ready.  I think.  See, that hesitancy is always lingering near...

So, tell me dear readers, how do you know when and where and how to grab onto that dream?

Do tell.

today is a sweet day

One of my favorite bloggers has a sign in her home that reads "Today was a good day."

I love that sign.

And I often think of that phrase as it pertains to my days.  Though I sometimes will replace the word "good" with the words great or perfect or fabulous.

This weekend in my mind it read:  "Today was a sweet day."

For so many reasons.  Our out of town guests didn't make it due to the piles of snow that arrived before they could.  So our visit was missed.  But the gift we ended up with was a free weekend as a family.

And we spent part of it sugaring.

Outdoors was cool and breezy at times and sunny and warmish at others.  For hours the fresh air filled our lungs, giving us more energy for the day spent walking and running and traipsing over mounds and mounds of snow.

We tasted sap and syrup.  We marveled at hours-old lambs and piglets nursing side by side by side.

We got knee deep in snow to gather sap, we rode a horse-drawn wagon, we nibbled pancakes and maple candies.

All truly sweet.


But maybe most sweet of all, was the space my mind had to daydream of a wee bit more nature of our own.

It sometimes surprises me to think that way, I've never been confused for "nature girl" after all.  But the older I get the more I realize that I never regret time spent outside.  Never, no matter the weather.  And it seems my children don't either.

So I am dreaming.  After all, any great thing begins with dreams don't you think?

I'm not sure where the dreaming will lead, but I am enjoying it all the same.

Of what are you dreaming today?

this moment

Joining SouleMama, and many others, in this weekly tradition of pausing to savor a moment from the week.

Simple. Ordinary. Extraordinary.

(By the way, this is her third haircut!  She was a pro, sitting so still and grown up.  Sigh.)

You can also visit me here at 40 words where I share an image and text in honor of my turning 40 this year.

Feel free to leave a comment and link to your moment!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Claudine

decisions, decisions

Well there isn't anything like out of town guests to get some projects done around the house.

Well, only one other thing.  Baby nesting.

And the last time that occurred around here is almost two years ago.  So you can imagine that about right now there are some projects that need to be done!

I am finding that house projects with three kids underfoot has some unique joys, and, ahem, unique challenges.

But I am totally concentrating on the joys.  Like small hands helping out a bit.  And the overwhelming, should I say childlike, excitement of something new about the house.

So I've been trying to make some decisions, and check off the check-list.  And ultimately, I am guessing I am going to have to let something go...but that can wait until just before our guests arrive!

Here are some sneak peaks at work in progress.

Hmm, wonderfully colorful decisions to be made here.  Oh and lots on the check-list to complete, so there may just be some late night posting in the mix too!

this moment

Joining SouleMama, and many others, in this weekly tradition of pausing to savor a moment from the week.

Simple. Ordinary. Extraordinary. 

You can also visit me here at 40 words where I share an image and text in honor of my turning 40 this year.

Feel free to leave a comment and link to your moment!

Have a well weekend!

bedtime

We had on pajamas and ate bowls of cereal.
Then each made creations of their own.

Script

Scene: 

Living Room

Characters:

Mother --  seated on  sofa, reading a magazine

Son --  playing nearby with Legos, using teeth to separate stuck pieces

Dialogue:

A quiet "ting" noise occurs, as if a Lego has fallen to the hard wood floor.

Son:  sounding a bit scared "Mom, can a Lego knock out a tooth?"

Mother:  "Well I guess it can.  What happened?"

Son:  "I was taking apart Legos with my teeth and my tooth came out."

Mother:  "Oh, that is what I heard fall on the floor.  Was your tooth loose?"

Son:  "No."

Mother:  now peering in son's mouth, trying to sound reassuring without actually freaking out that a Lego could possibly knock out a solidly-in tooth "Well, it must have been a little loose for the tooth to actually come out."

Both now on hands and knees trying to find tooth on the floor.

Mother:  "Well you better find it, do you know why?"

Son:  seeming much more okay with a lost tooth "The Tooth Fairy?"

Mother: "Yep, you know what the Tooth Fairy does, don't you?"

Son:  "Yes, leaves you like one or two dollars for your tooth." 

Hmmm, well I guess The Tooth Fairy that visits this house does...

And about that magazine reading on the sofa thing, it was totally coincidental!  That never happens in real life.  Honestly, it was like for one, maybe two, minutes!  See, I was reading for two minutes, and then, the tooth!

progress

So transformations take time.  Especially transformations of the home improvement variety.

And sometimes this Mama is impatient.

I am going to utilize my Bradley breathing (I'm so lucky that my knowledge of natural childbirth breathing techniques comes in handy in all kinds of situations) and embrace this disaster that will be our home for a bit while we build furniture and paint rooms and shift furniture from one room to another and sort stuff, hopefully discarding or re-purposing a good bit!

Oh, and try and keep up some sort of normal routine while all of this takes place.

But we've started.  With a great deal of excitement and help from the boys.

A bed has been built.

A bunk bed to be exact.

So they must getting older.

The toddler bed has been taken down and stored away until needed again.

The big kid bed is now a big kid bed five feet in the air.

So now as I go to sleep it is with the deep-gut realization that the two boys sleeping in the bunk bed in the room next door are growing.  Slowly becoming more and more who they are to be.

I guess you could say transforming.

pilgrimage

This weekend had the serious makings of a pilgrimage.

Planning. Check.

Traveling.  Check.

Excitement.  Double check.

Near spiritual experience.  Sort of.  The transformation is really yet to come.

And the mecca to which we went, the homeland of all home furnishings.

Honey and I and Baby Sister had a date day at IKEA.

For some time now, well over a year, I've been scheming some changes for our house.  We live in a cozy home.  A home that we didn't imagine having a baby in, let alone three growing children in.

Thankfully, our house has changed and grown as we have needed it to.  And luckily I've been able to be a bit creative with space.  So for many months I've been thinking up some needed changes to the kids' room and dining room and family room.  As basically any small house-house project goes you can't do anything without it domino affecting many other areas.

So this grand scheme of mine, well it was set into motion this weekend by our terrifically fun trip to IKEA.

 

I can't remember ever having so much fun shopping for hours on end.

The time together was the real deal of the day and the free lunch, well that was simply the icing!

We found some perfect things we had been planning for, and a few unexpected surprises!  Including a second trip because everything wouldn't fit in the mini-van in one trip.  We don't live anywhere close to IKEA, thus the traveling part of the pilgrimage.  Ahem.

You are welcome.  Very very welcome.