snapshots taken throughout this most lovely day, from some early morning alone time through all the makings and happy good things, and ending with yet a few more quiet moments alone.
from me to you + from our home to yours, sending warm wishes for a most happy day of thanks. life is good. celebrate. where ever + when ever + how ever you feel like it. enjoy it. xoxo
last summer i was thrilled to have been contacted by the editor of artful blogging to compose a piece for the Winter 2010 issue. it was a completely wonderful experience from the inner work of self-examination and writing, to selecting the photos, and working with the editor along the way.
and i have to confess, i squealed more than just a bit when it quietly arrived in my mailbox. and to find my piece nestled snugly among other artists + bloggers whom i admire provided further inspiration and delight. everything - from the way it was compiled and arranged and formatted - is beyond artful, and i truly feel honored.
and yes, i was not the only one who was a giddy - a certain high-pitched voice from the backseat of the car as we sat in the driveway paging through the issue said, "hey sissy! we're in a magazine!" oh, how i love my little rock stars.
my sincerest thanks to artful blogging for this opportunity. as i read back through my piece today, it resonates so deeply with where we are right here right now - something i could not have known about 6 months ago when i wrote it, but thankfully has been in my heart + soul all along.
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and friends, thank you ever so much for your supportive notes and gestures this past week. i feel rejuvenated by your spirits and inspired to live every day to its fullest. i pretty much tried to do that before all of this, but i'll gladfully embrace my situation as a reminder rather than a wakeup call. warm wishes to you + yours! xoxo
xoxo
the girls' orchard field trip was cancelled today, so i took them on a treasure hunt (a.k.a. thrifting + antiquing) as a consolation prize. we enjoyed lunching on honeycrisp apples and sandwiches with "waves" of nutella, took snapshots of the prismatic countryside out the sunroof, found treasures in the form of a keepsake box and an antique meatball-maker(picture a scissors with scoops at the end of each tip), and mama joined in on the singing of "i gotta feeling" after hearing it on the radio for the bazillionth time.
and then sweet serendipity had us arriving home just in time to be inspired and uplifted by the beautiful stephanie on oprah. thank you, nie nie. you - and your family and your story and the ripple you create with the words you say and write and live - are magical.
some days admittedly are better than others, for everyone i imagine. for us, today was exceptional in its simplicity and pure pleasure of enjoying one another. having the opportunity to spend my days with my children is a gift i shall breathe in and savor until i must breathe it out in the hopes of being able to take yet another breath. thank you for this day, and for the reminder of everyday joys. xoxo
a good after-party. hope you enjoyed your labor day! xoxo
drag races at dusk ::
start your engines...
on your mark... get set...
go!
a new after-dinner tradition. part of each heat is an ever-changing obstacle course once the wheels hit the grass. feel free to knit a row or two between belly laughs. my side still smarts. good times for racers + spectators alike. when we found those cars for $5/each at garage sales the past 2 years, never could i have imagined how much they'd be loved. heck, if i had a green convertible, i'd be in it every possible moment, as well. xoxo
the whirlwind. *sigh*
both june and december are a tidal wave of birthdays and celebrations and shows and recitals and running from here to there. moreso than any other month, you would not believe. (or perhaps you can relate all too well.) and what i've learned over the past few years is that one can only gear up so much, you know? then it's just a matter of rolling with it, riding each wave, and savoring every wonderful bit of excitement.
for us, with each sunset, putting our feet up side-by-side on the hassock is icing on life's cake, even if very very late is the first chance we've had to say hello.
it's a happy exhaustion. xoxo
i am not quite sure how we made it to the other side, but we're here.
swings, swimming lessons, three birthday parties, a banana python (and about a dozen other wild creatures, all of which the girlys touched or held - mama did not), a mini-amusement park and even a chance for mama to steal away to a baby shower. i am thankful for each and every moment - ok, maybe not the meltdowns and a few not so exceptional solo-parenting moments while the hub worked out of town. but let's be honest, a 98% amazing weekend is pretty stellar. and we've moved past any less than stellar moments, thanks to many deep breaths and reminders to live and learn, forgiving little ones any mis-steps as they find their way through life. and forgiving our own mis-steps as well. xoxo
i am honored to write a guest post on sewliberated today - the lovely meg invited a few of us to muse on the theme of motherhood.
meg is such a delight and inspiration, not to mention one of the cutest + most glowing pregnant mamas i know. so go get yourself a cup of something warm, and stop by to read through all of the "motherhood is..." posts this week. i am sure you will find some common ground in there :: perhaps as a mother, or perhaps as someone who made someone a mother. xoxo
who doesn't love tetris? especially when the playing pieces are furniture and fabric, and what results are a few extra square feet.
my husband has returned home many times to find any given room newly configured, only to roll his eyes and cast me a knowing smile. over time, however, he has come to accept the concept that our living spaces are for just that - living! how we interface with our space evolves and we should not feel confined or restricted by how things are set up. a little shuffle of a room's contents can totally change its feel and allow it to inspire once again.
i was able to manage a bit of tetris this weekend, and surprised even myself by creating more space in my little studio without removing a single thing. it is a mere 7' x 9' which is not a lot of space for five fully functional pieces of furniture - but somehow it works. and even better now, providing welcoming floor space for the little ones i love as they drift in throughout our quiet time to sew, play with pins or buttons, swoon over japanese craft books or simply to twirl. and twirl.
if i were a more pracitical person, this room would make an amazing pantry or a very handy first-floor laundry room. um, no thanks - this works just fine for everyone. xoxo
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edited to add ~ for those of you who commented and emailed about the paint colors, my sewing room is "asparagus" (410D-4) by Behr and that deep gold in the living room is "harvester" (SW6373) by Sherwin Williams. xoxo
