bits of sunshine

house-work

early Saturday morning our house looked like this ::

and we set to work ::

by the end of the day Saturday, all the black was covered with stucco.

on Sunday morning, Ben climed a ladder to trim out the two main floor windows, I got out my paint brush, and finished all the trim, Ben put corners on the lower level, I painted those, too, and now our house looks like, well, follow me around the corner . . .

this is what our house looks like now! ::

i see that Maddie's curtains need to be fixed, and there's a light that will go up by the door, and some landscaping to be done . . . but i am SO. DANG. PROUD. of us and all the work we got done this weekend.  so there.  :)

isaac's pictures

{so, the book post is taking longer than i thought.  it will come.  i promise.  but i want to make a really big list of things maddie has been reading - so any of you who have almost-eight-year-olds who are reading like crazy can get ideas from us . . . and maybe some of you can share some books you love, too.}

for today, i'm going to share some pictures that isaac has taken.  i grabbed his camera the other evening, because it was on the couch and i wanted a picture of the tree frog.

when i looked through his pictures, i was amazed.  here are some of his shots.

{his sister's hands}

{his sister}

{his buddy}

{a swallow nest}

{his dad}

{through the kaleidascope}

{and another}

{the little tractor he loves to drive}

{buzz and woody}

{his mom}

{his garages}

{climbing gear}

{his dog}

{night driving}

so there's a taste of the world through isaac's camera lense.  inpspring, isn't it?

some bits

:: this little guy was hanging out on our window last night

:: i edited yesterday's post a bit.  ben thought it sounded like he and i had been fighting.  we hadn't been.  the tension was all in me.  i don't even remember exactly what it was about.  but yesterday morning i was tense, too, and i remembered the rainbow and the ease and peace that evening had brought . . . so, i re-lived it in my mind, and savoured it, and it helped.  the peace was still there for the taking.

:: maddie has been reading and reading and reading.  she's amazing.  tomorrow i'll share some of the books she's been reading.  i keep previewing books for her, along with finding ones i remember reading when i was young. 

:: isaac does wonders with legos.  he gets an idea in his head and builds it.  that should be a post for another day.  the child amazes me.

:: i guess both my children amaze me.  :)  did you get that?

:: there are times, so many times lately, that i am so grateful for my kiddos.  i can literally feel my heart swell with love for them.  i am so very blessed to be their mom. 

:: and my husband.  in case you haven't gathered from this blog that i love him and i think he is awesome, i love him.  and i don't just think he is awesome, actually.  i know he is.  i am so very blessed to be his wife.

:: this evening is the last free concert in the park of this summer.  the music will be provided by the Tickwood String Band.  how fun does that sound?  my mom will join us on our blanket, and i'll bring a picnic - something yummy.

:: on saturday, ben and i are going to stucco the front of our house - the walk-out basement wall that has just been house-wrap paper.  i'll post before and after pictures.  i'm so very excited! 

:: monday morning is going to see us pulling our school books back out.  i'm ready, and i think my kiddos are, too.

:: i've heard it said that the word cabbage just sounds gross.  maybe.  and the smell of cooking cabbage is pretty off as well.  and how about the smell of fermenting cabbage?  umm. rank.  and freshly juiced cabbage?  well, that stinks, too.  and after a drink of freshly juiced cabbage, there are all these little enzymes that run around and tingle on the tongue and in the cheeks.  how do i know?, you ask.  well.  i've been drinking 4 ounces of fresh cabbage juice every day since saturday night.  i have an ulcer.  and on saturday night ben read this article, among many others, and went and bought a juicer and a cabbage (at about midnight) so i could start curing my ulcer.  (did i mention that i love him and he's awesome???)  so, i've got about 6 more days of drinking cabbage juice in my future, but my stomach is feeling ever so very much better.  (though i have been eating gently, and will continue to do so for quite some time.)

:: i should really hop up and attack my little list of things to accomplish this morning. 

i hope you all have a very lovely day.  it's the day before friday, you know.

love, ~e

memory of a rainbow

:: 18 july 2011 ::

tension so thick in me it could be cut with the proverbial knife
i hear the door open
then, "hey, babe, come look at this"
and i could feel my tension ease
a rainbow - a promise -
right over our house
(the second one in just a few weeks)
and ben saying, "hey, babe"
he and i watching
the storm
the sunset

:: 24 august 2011 ::

the rainbow lasted for twenty minutes
that should be long enough for me to grasp the enormity of the promise
the tenderness in my husband's voice
that should be enough for me to grasp the enormity of his promise

love so thick i could cut it with the proverbial knife

maybe i should take that memory down today
and cut myself a slice
and savour every bite

the rainbow-maker didn't mean that promise for only one evening

16 august 2011

            i didn't have anything in reserve this morning
            but i stood my ground
            and i didn't cry until after she apologized -
            in her own funny way

Saturday Night

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

they were going to sleep out here last night

Ben and I sat by the campfire while they snuggled in and fell asleep

then we went inside and read until we crawled into bed

at about 12:30 Maddie came in to tell us that Isaac had forgotten his allergy meds
he was crying and jerking in his sleeping bag

Ben found his pills and brought one out to him

all seemed fine

then at 1:30, the door opened

Maddie was shepherding Isaac in and asked me to help her tuck him in with her in her big bed

apparently he was having nightmares
so she had asked him if they should go sleep inside
and he said yes

I tucked them both in

I crawled back in with Ben

and we all promptly fell asleep

this morning I was thinking about Isaac and Maddie

he has these grand ideas (like sleeping in the tent) and she goes along
and then takes care of him when it doesn't work out quite as he had planned
what would he do without her?

joyful living

write down your blessings

laugh, giggle and be goofy

pray with gratitude

trust your instincts

create alone time

just "be"

sink into a book

eat scrumptious and healthy foods

keep good company

sit quietly under a tree

skip down the road

go barefoot in the grass

swim in the sea (or a lake)

plant a colorful garden

breathe deeply

don't rush

open your windows

smell the breeze

smile

drink water, lots of water

cherish the people in your life

create boundaries

be honest

try being loving instead of being right

remember happy times with happy pictures

worry less

play more and play big

stay positive

take a risk

move your body

dance and sing

see beauty everywhere you go

give with joy

Happy Friday, my friends!

these days . . .

:: the grasshoppers and crickets sing almost constantly

:: the cicadas scritch out their high-pitched song and shed their skins

:: the grasses around our house are more yellow than green

:: the sun comes in to our house at a different angle

:: the trees don't sound like summer in the wind, they sound dry, aged

:: the sun is warm, but the breeze is cool

:: the heavy july humidity is gone

:: sometimes, it is cool enough for a sweater

but don't think for a minute that i'm going to mention that word . . .
you know . . . what comes after summer . . .
because we are still going to celebrate summer . . .
i'm still going to take the kids to the beach and to the pool and we'll still soak up the sun . . .
even if the sun is a tiny bit farther away, and not quite so roasty, toasty hot . . .
it's august, and there are plenty of swim-suit wearing days left . . .
even if we do have to throw on a sweatshirt after our swims . . .
and, there are no complaints about open windows and cool evenings.  no complaints at all.

summertime

. . . . need i say more? . . . .

Happy, happy Friday, my friends!

love, e

zig-zag one and zig-zag two

this one's for my quilting bee

and this one is for me

you can see my bee block in the quilt here.  :)