this moment {don't wiggle, I'm giving you a tatoo}

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

good fortune

True story.  Lovey's birthday snuck up on me this year.  This is not the first time this has happened to me, as evidenced here and here.  For as much of a dreamer and a planner as I am, it seems I operate best by daydreaming all the way up until go time.  Meaning, the day before.  Very much how I wrote every single paper in college and graduate school.  Every.  Single.  One.  I guess foreshadowing of my yet-to-be-born children's birthdays lost on me at the time.

Which brings us to Lovey's birthday.  I had been daydreaming of buying her a handcrafted, wooden cradle for the many dollies she has taken to mothering.  So the day before her actual birthday, with a panicked realization overtaking me, I scoured web-sites trying to find handcrafted, wooden, cradle.  And the all-important local, as in I could have it in hand to-day.  Or maybe overnight shipping?

No luck.  More panic.  Then frustration that I hadn't planned earlier.

Meanwhile, I dropped Buddy and Munchkin off to a play date, and recounted my dilemma to the Mom, an artist and creative type.  She might know of a local woodworker.

She didn't.  And she also lamented that she had recently given away her childhood cradle.  Trouble is, she could not remember to which of many charities she had donated it to.  Had she known, she would have given it to me.  Shucks.

So, with the boys happily playing with friends, I began birthday errands, which included stopping into every thrift store in town, asking specifically for a recently donated wooden cradle. 

Did I mention I had Lovey with me?  Oh, I didn't?  Talk about some quick talking for this Mama so she would be none-the-wiser.

Several hours and several stops later, I received a text from my friend:  "Found the cradle. They said I can have it back."

Good fortune, my friends, good fortune.

Lovey and I headed to the shop where my friend had donated the cradle.  It was already set aside behind the counter, and with the welcome distraction of the "free box" of toys at the register, I was able to explain that I needed the "c-r-a-d-l-e in a bag please!"

Handcrafted.  Wooden.  Antique even.  Coming with a pleasant history is the bonus.

Later that night, brothers helped sew bedding for the cradle.

 

I sewed up a matching dress, for good measure. 

Big sigh.  Birthday saved.

But wait, Munchkin's is just around the corner.

announcing

It is with excitement, and admittedly some nervousness, that I finally have a post titled "announcing." 

It has been months that I've been dreaming of this particular project, my head swirling with ideas.  Some jotted into little notebooks, some typed up in documents, some still swirling in my head the way certain ideas leisurely develop and form and take their good ol' time in becoming beautiful reality.

Today is the day that I can announce the creation of gladsome.   What began as a spark of an idea to gather women together in a meaningful way, has developed into a weekend retreat to nourish the creative spirit. 

From those early doodlings in my notebooks, through much brainstorming with and encouragement from my dear friends Beth and G, gladsome now is a living, breathing reality that invites women to come together in a diverse community of goodness and compassion.

Please, take a look here for more information.  Please, consider joining in this retreat that will give abundantly in gratitude and joy.  Please, share this with other creative women you know.

planning

I've been able to sneak away a couple times these past weeks.  In the life of this Mama my time for any project which demands my full uninterrupted attention is usually relegated to the hours when littles are sleeping.  Sometimes this works well, sometimes not so.

And sometimes I simply need to sneak away for a few hours.

See, I've been dreaming of a special project for quite a long time.  These past several months I've been getting closer, planning specific details.  At times that has meant packing up my iPad, my journal, and finding a cozy spot in the sunshine or comfort of an air conditioned coffee shop.

I'm oh so close to being able to share it with all of you, dear readers! 

this moment

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

this moment

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

the deep end

I know that there will be many a rite of passage for my children.  Some big.  Some subtle.  All an important part of growing up.  I've already witnessed some:  the first time newly walking feet walk away from Mama, the start of Kindergarten, reading a chapter book on one's own.  Many rites are yet to come:  a friend sleepover, a first kiss, college.

This summer has brought a rite of passage that is part accomplishment, part freedom: passing the deep end test.

For most of the summer Buddy has dreamed about and discussed passing the deep end test.  Passing would allow him to swim in the six foot deep area of our local pool.  There was much talk and anxiety about how hard the test would be, after all certain lengths of swimming and treading is involved.  Treading water is hard.  Treading water while a lifeguard is watching and counting seems even harder.

But Buddy did it.  He passed.

I stood by, quietly watching, hoping for him.  And snapped a few phone pictures as the lifeguard declared his passage and made it official by writing his name in the "deep end test" notebook.

Buddy glowed.

And jumped.  And dove.  And swam.  Over and over he rocketed to the very bottom of the deep end, touching it with his hand before resurfacing.

I relished his ability and desire to reach the bottom of the pool, then realized that his newly gained status as a deep end swimmer is another of many steps toward his independence.  His jumping in and swimming into the depths is solo.   An exploration of his world from the underside of the water, while I wait poolside above the water.  He couldn't do this just a couple months ago.  I couldn't anticipate my bittersweet pride at his reaching this rite.

So it seems, his rites of passage changing him, and me as well.

this moment {superheroes}

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

(Photo taken by my dear friend Beth!)

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

on some days

There are moments in this busy family of six when I have the realization that a certain quiet is taking place.  Not the kind of quiet that comes with sleeping babes and dark wee hours of the night.  But a quiet that comes with contentment.

Lovely may be lining up her dollies, carefully covering them with baby blankets and softly singing to them.

Munchkin generally is concentrating on building.  Sometimes with blocks, sometimes with Legos, sometimes even Lincoln Logs.

Buddy is creating.  Without question he is creating.

And though it should never come as a surprise to me finding him immersed in his creative world, it sometimes does. 

I might be headed down the steps from getting Pal to nap and I happen upon Buddy with project supplies strewn about the dining room table.  His mind and his hands quietly working. 

Projects sometimes come from his imaginings, and sometimes from browsing through books.  He often will take an art or crafting book from our stash and flip through it, marking pages of ideas that interest him.

Sometimes the idea is so irresistible that supplies come out immediately and he delves into creating.

And then comes that certain quiet.  A lovely sound around here.

right now

:: Devouring Ashley English's delicious new book!  It is a gift from a dear friend of mine, and just the right encouragement for me to try my hand at pies.

:: Loving the blue skies.  Seemingly even more blue with the white clouds as comparison.

:: Sand.  In shoes, beach bags, swimsuits, and the floor of the car.

:: Late nights watching the Olympics.  One of the rare times we get the TV out from storage and watch it.  Alot.

:: Summertime freckles.

:: Outdoor painting.  On paper, hands, and hair.

:: Planning details for a new project.  I can't wait to share it with you soon!  You just might decide to take part.

:: Cousins.  Cousins.  Cousins.

:: Cherishing time spent with a far-away friend, and adoring how my children became smitten within minutes!

:: Little bits of sewing, as I can.

:: Slowing down the clock, just a bit, to squeeze every bit of summer into these remaining few weeks.

this moment

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

(Photo taken by my dear friend Beth!)

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

this moment {brothers}

Joining Soulemama, and many others, in this moment. 

In Amanda's words: "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Please link to your moment too -- I love to see what you are enjoying this week!

Wishing you a weekend full of goodness!

outgrowing newborn

There are so many beautiful changes that slowly happen as a newborn becomes no longer a newborn, but an infant.

Eyes begin to track comsistently.

Smiles become more definite, especially at the antics of siblings and cousins.

Hands are discovered, and begin grabbing everything in reach, particularly sister's hair.

There is a flirting with rolling over.

Or your Mama, who is gathering books and blankets to go in the backyard to read to the littles, without really thinking simply scoops up squirmy you and stashes you under her arm alongside the blankets.*

Dear readers, Pal is officially an infant.

* Disclaimer:  when I realized what I had done, I first made sure he was in fact safe being carried that way, and then pulled my iPhone out of my pocket to get the picture.  Then said to myself, "I guess he is no longer a newborn."

Indeed.

a bit of sewing

I've wanted to sew something from this book for a long, long time.  I actually started an outfit for Lovey ages ago that, if finished now, would fit Pal. Ahem.

Luckily, I've become much better at fitting in bits of sewing.  I've let go of the ideal of stretches of uninterrupted time to sew to my heart's content.  Instead I've embraced some cutting here, some stitching there, and eventually a project gets finished just the same.

This weekend I grabbed onto those little bits of time and finished this dress for Lovey.  Luckily there is still plenty of summer left to wear it, and I made it a bit long so that it might fit her next summer too.

You may be wondering when exactly this weekend I found those little bits of time to finish up this dress.  When the Dinosaur and the Jedi were playing on iPads, of course.