30 something

I didn't wash my hair today. 

(Or yesterday.)

So today it was pretty gnarly.  I wet it down and messed it around.  For about three seconds I toyed with going out among the English with it completely amok.  But it was more Crazy Old Lady than Breezy-Tousled Carefree.  If you know what I mean. 

I half liked it.

Then I remembered her.  The Lipstick Lady .  When I was growing up, there was a thirty-something-year-old mentally ill woman who lived out of her station wagon.  She wore her lipstick all over her mouth.  The kind of woman who would yell things at you if you glanced in her direction?

I smoothed my hair down just a little. 

Sometimes after a long day of mothering I feel a little too close to crazy.  And there is no need to tempt my inner Lipstick. 



 

South Africa Stripes :: for Julia

For Bonnie

 “God loves you. Jesus Christ died for you. He can change your life. He did it for me. He will do it for you.” 

 

(Found an article this morning.  And this gospel presentation is what stuck with me.)

 

xoxoxo

thursday

I hadn't touched a brush almost all summer.  But then inspiration struck  early last week.  And keeps striking.  It feels good to be at it again. 

the prayer

I video taped our supper last night. 

It's one of my favorite parts of the day. 

We say grace.  But my three year old really goes all out.  His voice is loud.  Full of authority.

Every night, it's:

COME LORD JESUS.
BE OUR GUEST.
NUFF BE MIFF.
NEFF ME BESS.

It's twelve kinds of awesome.

peanut butter cookies :: gluten free

So, life has been good. 

The weather is cooling, my windows are open and my strings aren't strung quite so tight.

Today we baked.


1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Shape into balls, press with fork, bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

on this night

My three year old had a nap today.  Which made for a quiet afternoon.  And an eventful evening.

"MOM!

MOM! 

MOOOOM!!!"

(He hollered from his bed)

"MOM!  CAN YOU HEAR ME?!  I NEED YOU TO SCRATCH MY BACK!"

I crawled into his bed.  "Scratch my back mom?  Just this much," he said with his arms stretched as wide as he could reach.

"Now scratch my arm?"

"And my other arm?"

"Almost finished...now scratch my back a little more?"

"And my arm."

"And my other arm."

"And just a little bit more."



This kid. 



I gave him fair warning before I tucked his shirt in and patted his little back.

"See you in the unicorns," he told me.  (Because he is awesome like that.)

blink

Under the shade of the giant oak trees

we waited for his siblings to finish their last day of school for the year. 

My three year old watched the children playing outside the windows of our parked car. 

He wanted to join them in their game of flag football. 

I explained that this game was only for the kids attending school. 

He pinched his eyes closed and then opened them again.

"I blinked.  Now I'm in first grade," he explained.

He had overheard my idiom and misunderstood. 

It's a blink of my eye. 

Not his own. 

 I'm going to start propping them open with toothpicks. 

t e n

My sweet girl turns 10 today. 

Two digits. 

In honor of her birthday, a repost...

her big brown eyes

I went to a concert with my mom and my girl the other night. At one point, my girl looked at me. And her eyes....big and brown and round. She was at once both the 8 1/2 year old she is right now, and the baby that she will always be in my heart. Those eyes.

I remembered the night before her first birthday. One whole year had come and gone. She would never be my tiny girl again. I cried. Hard. I woke up my sleeping husband. "She's going to be one." He didn't feel it like I did.

I was two years into a four year interior design program when she was born. Before I met her, I was sure I could keep pushing towards the career of my dreams. And then we met. My baby. My girl. My mom watched her for me while I attended classes. It worked. I tucked the pain of leaving her in my back pocket and finished another year.

The summer between years 3 and 4 of the program -that I worked so hard to get into- required an internship. I applied to a few places and was so excited to be hired to one that paid money.

That night before her birthday, I felt the sting of all that would be required from me that summer. All the time away. From the child that was no longer a baby. My girl. Growing so fast I could almost see it happening. I thought about just calling this place to tell them I couldn't do it. Quitting. Before I began.

But I couldn't.

We had sacrificed so much to get to where we were, and this internship would only be for a summer. But that summer turned into more. The 4th year in that program (my 6th college year) was busy with school-work and work-work. And I saw my girl at the end of the day. I put her to bed each night. And dressed her each morning. But the in between wasn't hers and mine. It was hers. And mine. Separately.

Everyday I sat at my desk I thought about how I would rather be sitting with her. I pressed forward, though, with that pain tucked away deep. I could still feel it.

And then, in an unexpected turn of events, we were expecting.

It was then I knew. There was no way....

....no way for us.

No way for me to tuck those feelings away any longer. It was time to tuck "my career" away.

That was almost seven years ago. I can feel that career being tucked away, but it doesn't feel painful....it feels good.

::Micah::

To give you an idea of scale, I've hung these in my diningroom. 

Option 1:

one 24"w x 36"h plus one 24"w x 24"h (overall 2 ft wide by 5 ft high) $120

Option 2:

three 24" x 24" squares (total stacked 2 ft wide by 6 ft high) $135

happy easter!

then bursting forth in glorious day

up from the grave He rose again!

::sjbk::

For Sare~Lah.  

Good Busy

Painting in the kitchen. 

The sun is shining today.

Weatherman says 58 degrees by this afternoon.

I need all 58.

The last two months have been sick ones for me and mine.  Pink eye.  Influenza.  Bronchitis.  The common cold. The uncommon cold.  Good times. 

I'm tired.  But the sun is shining. 

itsystitch Waldorf inspired dolls

If you have a little girl, and your little girl likes to play with dolls...well, then you need to know about itsystitch.

Photo: Amie :: itsystitch

  Shop owner Amie is a super talented lady, and she recently started selling her wares online.  She is running a contest to win one of her Waldorf inspired dolls.  You have until 2:00 pm on February 2nd to enter.  If you win, come back and thank me....and if you don't, you're welcome anyhow...you will not find Waldorf inspired dolls anywhere else online of this quality at such a great price.  And, seriously, how cute is their hair?!

one, two, three, four

hootie owl for Steph

Lori and Donna

A few possibilities...

bleeding hearts :: 30" x 24" :: $55

wildflowers :: 36" x 24" :: $75

daisy field :: 36" x 24" :: $75

(Click on any photo to enlarge)

2012

Three days in.

We're back into the rhythm of our schedule. 

Daddy at work.  Big kids at school.  Little kids at home.  Mom/my...you know....still doing whatever it is I do. 

Trying to find some words to share in this space.

I'm going to make this year an authentic one.  Is that an Oprah thing to do?  I'm not intending to do it in an Oprah sort of way.  I want to be real and honest.  I want to be fully present in my life.  For whatever reason, I find myself floating through my days, hovering above the surface.  This will be the year that I stop floating.  And figure out whatever it is I'm supposed to be doing.