Spring Remembrance

Sometimes the simplest, most beautiful sights...

And the sweetest, most natural fragrances...

Evoke the most treasured memories.

My mother and little me, as captured by my father in 1978...

On the daffodil hill that my family used to visit each spring.

Scrubbed and Shined

Have you heard the story of the very pregnant woman who possessed such a compelling urge to nest that she cleaned her oven with a toothbrush until it was pristine only to go into labor a few hours later?

Well, that was me this morning... except it wasn't the oven, it was the refrigerator... and I only thought about using a toothbrush... and {so far} I'm not in labor, just exhausted. But, my friends, our icebox is cleaner today than it was the day it left the factory and that feels great.

Jehovah-Nissi, The Lord My Banner

But thanks be to God, who always leads us in His triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place. 2 Corinthians 2:14

A Day in the Life

Thursday, March 4, 2010

My day starts with a cup of tea... it's part of the early morning ritual that I savor during the quiet moments before the boys begin to stir.

Before the scramble to school begins there are scrambled eggs for breakfast...

Along with cinnamon toast, fruit, and a dose of sunlight.

It's a big laundry day. My nesting project for the day is to clean out and reorganize the bathroom toiletry cabinets and our linen storage. In addition to our regular laundry {pictured} I wash all the towels in the house. Fresh smelling towels are nice.

With the laundry swishing I tidy the house and join Little Brother for building with Legos and some competitive rounds of Hungry Hippos, then we make a quick {and unfruitful} trip to the thrift store and the drugstore.


Home once again, Little Brother requests that we eat lunch in the "tweehouse" {the wooden swing set and fort in the backyard}. We picnic there which is fun until we're finished and I realize that, like a turtle stuck on its back, I can't get down from the fort via the slide or the ladder without a struggle. No more treehouse picnics for me until after Baby Sister arrives!

After some llama drama on his part due to an injury inducing sweet gum ball, some spilled ice cream, and a tumble from his chair, and because of sheer exhaustion on my part, we settle in on the couch to read and rest.


After navigating the school carpool line {and tracking down a misplaced book} we arrive home. The boys run wild in the yard while I fold laundry and completely reorganize the newly renovated master bathroom. My little men bring me a dandelion puff. Sweet boys. And then it is time to cook dinner.

An easy Thai supper commences after the professor walks in the door {and after he and the boys look at classic cars on the computer}. When dinner is over he cleans the kitchen, oversees the bedtime routine, and reads to the boys while I collapse on the couch. What a guy!

Bathroom Smiles

Regarding bathroom renovations... there's been a lot to smile about going on lately. Progress... significant, happy progress! I'm eager to show you but finishing touches are important so I'll wait a bit longer. Just know that I'm smiling!

Enjoying the Little Things Today...

Such as a sunny breakfast table that was quickly deserted because...


A certain school boy was more eager to read about the Titanic than eat his oatmeal.

And freshly baked banana muffins to share with friends who came to play. Some were uniquely and specially packaged to give away {in a jelly jar, of all things}...

By the resident snacker. Actually, these days, Baby and I are resident snackers too!

And let's not overlook the "double fort" or the little feet that crawled into it.

“Enjoy the little things,

for one day you may look back

and realize they were the big things.”

Robert Brault

Captured Moment: Speak and Spell

This morning I caught him playing with my old Speak & Spell, an item the professor recently brought out of the trunk to be used in a vintage and classic toy display. Little Brother can't read but that didn't stop him from keying in words such as QWYSTBEFG and then asking, "Mommy, what does dis say?" Okay, so he's not so great at spelling but even at this age it's a good tool for teaching letter recognition!

March didn't waste any time with her teasing... yesterday was gloriously sunny and warm, today is drearily wet and cold. It's a good afternoon for savoring tea along with your thoughtful words regarding our walk on daffodil hill. Thank you, my friends, thank you... you are all kindness to me.

Walking on Daffodil Hill

Warm sunshine, blue skies, birdsong... Spring is in the fresh air today that is sweeping into my house through the open window. It seems appropriate for the first day of March to hold such promise and fresh hope after the cold winter months.

March can be fickle offering tidbits of spring only to snatch them back again with hefty doses of blustery, chilly, gray days... but when March marches in so does the promise of awakening and new life {especially this year!} and warmth. It's an enlivening, hopeful feeling for me.

Recently I've been reflecting on why I blog and I'm finding that after 2.5 years of photographing, and writing, and publishing my reasons for doing so are still very much what they were when I created this place, on a whim, one August afternoon in 2007.

At the time my reasoning was twofold: I wanted a motivation that would drive me... force me...to better learn how to use our camera, and I wanted a platform for noticing, sharing, and remembering the blessings and beauty in my life... the fingerprints of the Father.

I love how my friend Anna describes her blog... "this blog is a good times journal..." I've come to realize that is exactly what this place is for me... a record of some {not all!} of my family's good times, a place for sharing bits of personal growth as well as some adventures in creativity, and, ultimately, a means for noticing the presence of One whose presence should never be ignored.

Certainly this life that I'm living is not one set on a daffodil hill where the sun always shines and the flowers are always in bloom. There are messes, struggles, and hardships, seasons of cold winter dormancy... but through them is the Designer's hand crafting purpose and growth, beauty and pattern.

Whether I know you personally or not... whether you comment frequently, occasionally, or never... thank you for visiting. Your quiet presence so often encourages me, and I truly hope that in some small way you too gain bits of inspiration and encouragement by walking with me on this daffodil hill where the flowers just might be in bloom. They are today!

Jehovah-Rapha, The Lord Who Heals

...for I, the Lord, am your healer.

Exodus 2:26

He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.

Psalm 147:3

Surely our griefs He Himself bore,

And our sorrows He carried;

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

But He was pierced through for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed.

Isaiah 53:4-5

But for you who fear My name

the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings.

Malachi 4:2

Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed;

save me and I will be saved, for Thou art my praise.

Jeremiah 17:14

I Dreamed

Last night I dreamed that Baby Sister arrived. I was resting in my bed {at home} after the birth when the professor walked into our room carrying a big, fat, rosy baby girl. "Guess how much she weighs," he said with a grin... "Ten pounds and two ounces!"

He laid her on the bed next to me and I leaned over and kissed her.

The Boys' Room

We did it... two boys, two bedrooms, and 200,000 "I can't get rid of this" treasures consolidated into one space.


The room is colorful, boy'ish, and pleasantly cluttered.

Things are neat right now but sometimes this place is a disaster zone. As long as the room is relatively tidy at bedtime I try not to sweat the mess... this is their space.

Each boy has one drawer to hold seasonal play clothes; the third drawer contains socks, underwear, and pajamas for both.

They love having bunk beds... I love the floor space that going vertical allows.

Cubicle bookcases from Ikea {the white one shown here and a low brown one on the far side of the bottom bunk, partially shown in photos 2 and 3} help us maintain our preference that all toys are stored in the boys' room.

In the interest of keeping it real here is the closet. There are more games and toys stored inside while shirts, jackets, and dress clothes hang. I still need to sort through the shoes and settle on a good shoe storage solution.

And here is real life... just hours after having the room neatly picture perfect this is the current status!

One project room finished... two bathrooms and a nursery to go!

Pensive

couch view

These days it seems that I feel sluggish and contemplative more often than not. After lunch I find myself gravitating to the couch {it's bathed so nicely in warm sunlight in the afternoons} where I read with Little Brother and then stretch out to doze like a cat or think about how our foursome that will soon be a fivesome.


Yes, I desperately need to mop floors, vacuum, and cook meals to freeze but such tasks are requiring a three-day pep talk to motivate myself. I wonder, when will I get another burst of nesting energy?

This morning we had beautiful, peaceful snow showers. Because this is the deep south and snow of any sort is a marvel I tried to capture it with the camera through the bedroom window. It was a lot prettier in person.

An afternoon cup of tea with a dose of solitude was a nice pick-me-up today... that and a ginger lemon creme cookie. Yum. Such niceties help carry me through the school carpool line, the flurry of after school snacks, play, and homework, then dinner.

Can you see the fourth item up? Bows! Every little girl should have one.

Yesterday I started placing tiny socks, nightgowns, and sleepers in the baby's chest of drawers. What delight! As I worked my mind started racing, "Oh yeah, we're going to need diapers and wipes... Where are the receiving blankets... Don't forget about baby wash for bathtime... And hooded towels... Do we even own a bottle {no} or pacifier {no}... Baby Sister needs a hat."

Why didn't I think about these things before now? Clearly it's been a while since we've had an infant in the house. I seem to have forgotten about all the little necessities {like Tylenol drops} that we'll want to have on hand... so I started a list. But I'm still feeling kind of spacey about it all. What would you put on your list?

Window Simplicity

Captured Moment: Weekend Reading

Mouse Soup

by Arnold Lobel

Jehovah-Jireh, The Lord Will Provide

And Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide,

as it is said, "In the mount of the Lord it will be provided."

Genesis 22:14

And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19