Barn Therapy

I woke up cranky, for no reason.  And anxious too.  She called from a sleepover, crying, wanting to come home.  We sat around talking about going to the park for an hour.  I scheduled an impromptu riding lesson, instead.  We all stayed to watch, and breathe.  The little one played with the barn cat.  We talked about getting a kitten.  I think our cat might be lonely.

Weekends Are For...

teaching small hands to make pastry,

 beautiful, earthy meals,

and reading in cozy corners.

Today as we wait out this winter storm, I'm reminded that we are so very blessed.  We are warm, well fed, and content here in our cozy little apartment.  As the temperatures plummet to below freezing, I'm thinking about others who can't say that and praying for their well-being.  I'm also praying for my own sprites.  May they always know warmth, in home and heart. 

Thanks and Giving Days 2 and 3: Weekends Are For...

Soul Perspective.

Saturday I woke up three groggy, grumpy kids at 6 am to take them out into the cold for a little giving. Safe Haven is a wonderful program helping homeless families in the Nashville area.  A few weeks ago, I signed us up to volunteer for their annual Hike for the Homeless event.  I thought it would be a good way to get the sprites out into the volunteer community of our new town.  It took a solid hour (or two) for the grumpy to wear off.  We were assigned to the children's area, which meant we were moving between the craft table, the climbing wall, and the football toss.  As more people began to arrive, the sprites began to shake off the bad attitudes and have a little fun with it.  It helped that an awesome funk/reggae band started jamming on stage before the hike began.   The hike went smoothly, everyone had fun, and money was raised to help the program continue running through the cold winter months approaching.

After the event, we decided to explore the park where the hike took place.  The area was new to us.  It was a beautiful place to hike in, with tall tree lined hills that were splashed with autumn colors.  We will definitely go back for a family hike soon.  Some fresh, quiet air is almost as good for the soul as thankfulness.  I think I'll add that to the prescription for our perspective overhaul.

We ended the day with family and friends for what I'm calling "Halloween, Take Two".  Halloween night was rained out with harsh storms that kept us all inside in PJ's rather than costumes.  That night we had cuddled up on the couch and watched The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and The Nightmare Before Christmas.  It was a nice night but the kids were definitely hoping to go trick or treating.  Luckily the rain held off long enough on Saturday to allow for a redo.  We decided to join family and a few new friends to explore a new (to us) neighborhood.  After some frights and some looting, we enjoyed a great dinner with some great people before coming home to crash into full sugar comas.

Sunday, we spent time together, just the four of us, cleaning house, making soup, and adding leaves to our Thanksgiving tree.  I'm thankful a lovely weekend filled with good people, good food, and good soul perspective.

A Full Day

Saturday morning.  We rose with the sun.  

On this cool autumn morning, our destination was a small race where the boy ran hard beside his dad.  They had fun and finished strong.

After congratulations and a brief cool down, we loaded back up, stopped for coffee and donuts, then headed to the park so that the littlest sprite could stretch before her dance performance. 

She took her bow, tossed me her jazz shoes, and we ran to the van so that we wouldn't be late to the next stop.  We ate lunch as we drove to the playhouse for the middle sprite's performance.  The Friday night before was the show opening, so the jitters were gone and she bounded up the stairs to the dressing room with a business like determination.  The show was again a great success.  

Now we are home.  Exhausted, but content with a day on the go doing the things we love.  

They are all beautiful in their own unique way.  Each different, each talented.   And even in their diversity, they cheer each other on.   They are lovely little people.  

Weekends Are For...

              ...laughing and chatting with your sister while flying through the air on a Ferris Wheel.

Sunday Night

October rainy day, crisp honest air

leaves strewn on the lawn in warm shades of autumn

children's feet run across wet grass, dog at their heels

the smell of baking chocolate mingles with the damp earth wafting through open windows

cat curled up in red flannel blankets

soft music fills the background making hips sway lightly

mama lays the dinner out, candle lit, hot soup and bread

this is what it means to be home

this is simplicity

this is family

This is meaning, its everything

Festival Fun

I'm a festival junkie.  I am.  I get a major high from the one thing that most adults hate.  Most adults, that I know anyway, hate everything that comes with a festival: the crowds, the heat, the noise, the expense.  I love it all.  Well, maybe not the expense.  But I'm willing to pay for my addiction.  I love the crowds, the noise, and even the heat rising off of the pavement.  It's all part of the late summer festival experience.  I love the community of it.  I love the sounds of the rides and the shrill cries of children as they fly through the air.  I love the the calls of the concession workers and the game operators.  I love the art for sale and the craft aisles.  Oh, and I love funnel cakes and fresh squeezed lemonade.  Throw in a parade and, well, I'm a very happy girl.  Really, you have to be seriously grumpy not to love a parade.  It's so much fun!

 Festivals are magical, in their own way.  They keep the child in me alive.  And because I am prone to fits of nostalgia, most often outside of my history, I only have to step foot on the midway to be pulled into the pure entertainment of early fairs.  Festivals recall a time long past when the fair coming to town was a really big deal.  It meant a break from hard work.  It was a novel form of escape.  A time when the Ferris Wheel really was magical, and a little scary, because no one had ever seen one before.  As we walk around, I see the street in sepia tones.  As I photograph our day I feel as though I can sense the emotions of a crowd long gone.  

And yes, I know that nothing about it is pure.  The rides, games, and food are over priced.  People are rude because they're tired and sweaty and overspent.  I know that the goal of the operators is to make you leave with empty pockets.  And we do.  But we also leave with cotton candy, lemonade, and maybe a prize or two, and the satisfaction of a fun afternoon spent as a family.  I guess it's all in how you see it.  You can see it all in black and white, good and evil.  Or you can see it in sepia-toned lightly processed shades of community.  People pulled together to cheer for veterans and fire trucks and marching bands.  Children delighted by simple pleasures.  And a day spent with friends and family in the late summer heat.   I prefer the latter.  I choose to live in the magic of nostalgia.   And my children have started to live there as well.  This morning, nothing was going to keep them from going downtown.  I'm OK with that.  I like our little family of festival junkies.  A day with them is a day very well spent.

Weekends Are For...

...quick summer downpours and promises that won't be broken.  

Weekends Are For...

an early morning race in the park.  Picking through the bounty at the farmer's market.  Long naps.  And fresh pitchers of sweet tea.

Weekends Are For...

...strawberry picking in the warm spring sun.  Lunch out as a family.  Getting caught in a light spring rain and breathing deep.  Giving an old bike new life with the help of the local bike shop.  And a rather large serving of strawberry short cake.  All together that would be one perfect Saturday.

I'm very much in love with this picture that Chris took.  Look closely.

One handful of the 20lbs of strawberries that came home!  I see jam in my future.