Welcome! Thanks for clicking on over here from Design Mom, lovelies. I’m so glad that you’re here. Take your coat off and stay awhile, why dontchya?
I created a Guest Mom post for Design Mom while she is en route to France with her brood. Check it out here if you haven’t seen it yet! 5 fun ways to have a very French day of your own. Enjoy!
Happy February, lovelies! Is today a snow day in your nest? “Snowmageddon” stayed south of us, which is just fine because I really didn’t want Chris to spend another evening shoveling off our roof. Oof.
Although our local big-box stores are already pushing Easter candy, bikinis and grass fertilizer, it’s still very much the heart of winter here in northern Michigan. A friend told me once that we gain two hours of sunlight in the short month of February and this always perks me up a bit. Have you been struggling with the winter blahs in your nest? Cabin fever mixed with a bit of happy-to-wear-a-heavy-sweater feelings around here.
That leads me to the point of this whole post (finally, geesh!). No foreseeable plans to head somewhere tropical this winter?Bring a tiny taste of someplace warm to your nest in the form of exotic fruits! I bought starfruit the other day and for about a dollar-ish, we took a short trip to the tropics. Although this clearly flies in the face of my quest to eat local/seasonal/sustainable, I figured that the investment in our mental health was worth the food miles the starfruit traveled.
Lovelies, how do you like to stay bright and cheerful this time of year? Or do you resign yourself to being a grumpy pants for several months? Do you embrace it or try to escape? A bit of both? I’d love to hear your ideas. Please and thank you.
To make up for the moments when I feel like I’m not doing a great job at much of anything, I’m feeling a wee bit smug today. Why? The little birdie is ridiculously excited over a bowl of cottage cheese. I guess I must be doing something right! It’s the little things to this proud Mama. What makes you sit up a bit straighter these days, lovelies?
Trudging through deep snow to dump some egg shells, vegetable scraps and coffee grounds into the compost bin seems like an awfully silly activity when the needle hovers under freezing. But it pains me to throw vegetable scraps in the garbage even when I know it’s too cold for them to break down in the bin. So I ignore my brain and listen to my heart, which is fueled on hope. Depositing the rotting remains is a hopeful task, unlike sweeping the floor or cleaning the dishes. Hopeless drudgery. As soon as I finish, they need to be done again. And then again. And again. Sigh. I am trying to work on my attitude toward cleaning, but I’m not making much progress, can you tell? But! Taking care of the compost? A bit of work now for a luscious garden later. So worth it, don’t you think?
A pile of stinky garbage to some and the ingredients for something fantastic to another. There is beauty in these remains, no?
What fun to start the day in a colorful, creative way. Will you make time today for something creative, lovelies?
Wren is now 20 months old. That means she’s on the cusp of two. Yikes! In fact someone asked me recently how old she is now and I even said “almost two.” I’m getting a little sick of declaring how many months she is. Other parents of young children understand, but still. Another thing parents of young children understand is that we’re tired of talking about being tired. I think discussing how much (or little!) your child sleeps is just about as interesting as sorting through a sock drawer. It passes the time, but how much does it really say about a person? It’s akin to sharing thoughts on the weather forecast. Everyone does it, but it doesn’t make it meaningful. I’d rather focus on how someone enjoys spending her wakeful hours. So what’s the little birdie really into these days? Thanks for asking.
such a delightful, charming, feisty little girl, that little birdie. Clearly not a baby anymore.
The needle hovers around 2. Happiness in spite of the gripping chill is… squeaky snow underfoot… the sun bravely peaking out from behind the graphite clouds… a glittery new blanket over our nest… blooming paperwhites in the kitchen.
Happy Sunday, dear readers. How will you spend your day? Bundle up, lovelies.
Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day! Just what the world needs: a whole day devoted to the appreciation of the squirrel. Wow! According to the founder, Christy Hargrove, “celebration of the event itself is up to the individual or group — anything from putting out extra food for the squirrels to learning something new about the species.”
Want to broaden your understanding of the squirrel? Here are some fun facts:
Lovely just how much it helps to lift one’s spirits to just get out. Simple joys of listening to the muffled silence that a fresh blanket of snow brings, seeing your breath as you work your way up the hills, feeling the snow creep into the space between pants and socks that the boots neglect to reach, sharing a bowl of soup that warms the belly. And the soul.
Hello lovelies. How’s 2011 treating you so far? Are you thigh-high in snow too? Feeling motivated by the possibilities that a whole new calendar year offers? Or stumbling through a post-holiday daze and feeling frumpy, dumpy and slightly grumpy like yours truly? Sigh. Raise your hands, let’s take a quick inventory…
I’ve been trying to get excited about a whole new year, but now that we’re a few weeks into it, it feels pretty much the same as before the big holiday rushrushrush and brings similar challenges. Are you experiencing the same kind of post-partum (new year) feelings? I didn’t think I wanted to make resolutions this year, but I’ve been living in an annoying paradox: ungrounded and yet stuck. I decided to revisit last year’s thoughts on resolutions and craft some for this year to give me some direction and a bit more kick to my glide. I’m not sure revisiting last year’s post was even such a great idea because I never made it into that bikini that only lives in dreams I still aspire to wear. Even with Wren still nursing, geesh. Funny boob tangent… Wren says “nurse!” now and it sounds a bit like “nuts!” and while she says it, she pats her chest with both hands like the cartoon gorillas. Funny little birdie!
Ahem. Where was I? Oh yeah.
Part of me wants to just focus on one big, very important idea: Mindfulness. While another piece of me (the squirrely part) wants to take concrete, specific, measurable action (Stop using those yucky Clorox wipes! Lose ten pounds! Do something creative every day! Wipe out all consumer debt! ). So I’m going to wed the two in a ceremony right here. Will you be my Maid of Honor, lovely readers? Will you help to remind me to be mindful of the Now, while I chip away at specific goals bit by bit? Thank you in advance. I heart you and thank you for clicking in on me today.
As for 2011, OK, I think I’m ready for you now. Challenges and all the fluffy stuff too. Go!