Wintering

Hopefully for not too much longer....for now, we will try our best to make the most of these last days of winter (who knows, in the heat of July we may fondly look back!).

'Til then, we'll focus on the little things (and keep out fingers crossed for sun!)

Cozy- ing on up to some sweet kitties at the animal shelter.

 Getting  a little crazy when the temperature rises a bit...

 Watching the amazing inventiveness of a few girls who create an entire world in a day...

 Remembering that there still is beauty in the freezing cold of winter...

 Moving it so that beauty can be enjoyed ..even a little.

 Reminding myself...its all in the little things...

How are you making it winter in your neck of the woods?

New Adventures ~

Hey folks,
I am starting a new project over here and hope to see some friendly faces to give me the occasional kick in the butt ;)
 I'll still be poking around here a bit as well. I think once or twice a week maybe...like today!

Enjoy!

Summering

Here, there and a little bit of everywhere...soaking it up while we can.

Peachy Beachy

Loving our new little swimming digs...

In time

"Mama, let's go to da garden." Sure baby, ...let's.

Garden update as of today? Well, some potatoes found their way into the soil and then we have those ever present raspberries that hopefully my black thumb will not entirely suck the life out of. Fingers crossed on that one. My water mantra doesn't quite work so well on those since I discovered that raspberries don't appreciate too much water - gives them root rot. That's okay though, I'll save that mantra for the tomatoes since they sure do seem to love a good drowning. The 15 little seedlings we have are super leggy and ready to be transplanted. We'll be popping those straight into the ground tomorrow.

When the weather cools a bit from its expected 90 degrees of today, the wee ones and I will venture to a seedling farm close by and pick up some peas and other yummy bits that are not too complicated to grow. Baby steps here; most assuredly.

Yet, the flowers in the garden? Well, they are just about to die for...

In a blink

'Mumma' becomes 'Mom'. Legs elongate. Chub turns to muscle.  The door opens and shuts more often as the years go by.  We now just get snippets of time where once we wondered what to do with the long days of diapers, fevers, learning to read, tantrums, crafting and playing. And in the end, as we wonder how we might shape them and leave the best of ourselves in tiny cracks of their being, we finally see that as they have grown beside us, we've grown even more alongside them

Discovery

Hers...Theirs...Mine.

Hers: She is loving the wonder of her hands lately. The grasp. The look. The taste especially.

Theirs: They sense each others' presence. A mere walk into the room and the wee one's senses are awakened to her big sister's energy. Tummy tickles. Foot kisses. Love.

Moments I try to capture. To remember for them. Someday, helping to guide them back to each other.

Mine: Marveling at how I can never tire of sweet feet. The lack of arch. Foot all chub. Little toes flexing and spreading. Endlessly kissable and fleetingly tiny.

Misty May Morning

"don't worry about a thing...
'cause every little thing
is gonna be alright..."

These two...a study in tenderness

There we were, mid sheet change on the bed when the two cuties started in to snuggle. Of course, a moment like this shouldn't be missed (and sadly sometimes is in the rush of the day) so I grabbed the camera and we had a mini photo shoot. An almost 3 months old's attention span and endurance being what it is...little Miss L. decided it was time for a little snack and nap. Big sister often likes to hang out, chat and sweeten up the picture with some affectionate rubbing on her baby "sissa" 's head.

Moments to keep forever...

Setting up house

The process, most assuredly, has been a slow one. Last time I found myself delving into this kind of creativity and negotiation ...it was in a much smaller space, with far fewer things and just 2 kiddos underfoot. This time around I find myself  much more unsure of myself. Taking tentative little steps...settling in with what I've done and seeing how it flows. Still, there have been a few spots that I have fallen in love with and glimpses of "us" that I can see emerging as the days roll on...

and, of course, joys in simple things like making  new pillows...(its always the little things, really).

Then, there are parts that still need work and don't quite arouse a feeling of home....

The folks who had been here prior had been here for ages.They are 80+, and primarily used this place as a summer home. The fellow who lived here? Well, he was born here in this house (beautiful!) so, this home had been in his family quite a while. Hence, they had some clearing out and passing on to do (so we hear from them) but, left some treasures that we are ever so grateful for ....

 ( I had so wanted a sturdy pastry blender but never seemed to make it a priority to search out one.)

and others that didn't quite fit. The guilt (oh, the guilt!) of removing those things (it just felt, well, disrespectful on some level) has created a process slow in the making. There were curtains that went to homes more appreciative, carpeting that will eventually come up (covering a sub flooring that is - hopefully! - hiding a salvageable wood floor) and some wallpaper that is in awesome shape yet distracting so we'll be throwing a  good dose of some low voc paint onto some of the walls (but not all) soon.

We do love this new space of ours that offers room to live a little more freely and individually yet, not so large that we find ourselves drifting away from each other. Of course, there are still squabbles (nothing can magically eradicate sibling dynamics...I try to remind myself that this is a good thing...daily). Not to mention that some of our old favorites have found some cozy homes in spots that seem made for them...