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it is a nightly ritual out our house - as are the bubbles. tonight kai had a particularly entertaining time as he discovered what happens when you clap with a handful of bubbles - and then proceeded to practice the new task quite diligently and with great flair as our bathroom quickly found itself lightly coated in a spray of bubbles. after reading nina & misty's posts this week...this made me think again of how life so desperately needs to contain these moments of magic.
i found this quote awhile ago - i read it every so often - it seems to sum up so much. i love the hours just before sunset. it's as though the day takes a big sigh and dims the harshness of the world. everything seems so subtle and so beautiful. tonight i listened, really listened to the sounds of sunset in our neighborhood. there were church bells in the distance, the quite talk of families as they returned from the beach, the sounds of dinners in mid-preparation, the sounds of winding down and settling in.....
"what is life? it is the flash of a firefly in the night. it is the breath of the buffalo in the wintertime. it is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset." ~Crowfoot Blackfoot warrior and orator
today has been a wonderful sunday...we have a lovely supper cooking downstairs. we were all outside working on the yard here and there this afternoon and plan to hit the beach later on. it must be pinenut season now as folks are pulling over on the sides of the roads and gathering them up from under the giant umbrella pines. the cones are soooo big and heavy- we have a dent in the car from one. this tends to mark the closing of summer and the onset of fall which is just around the corner. the other photo is kai's treasure pile. when we're in the yard, we love to look for tiny treasures - and then pile them up for later. wishing you all a wonderful week and may you too enjoy the tiny treasures in your world.
the bubbles are kai's most favorite thing in all the world. our house, on a good day, tends to resemble the lawrence welk show with all the bubbles he requests.
so my unpacking is coming along - looks like my rooms just might be ready for when the kids start school next week. it's been a process alright. tonight was the perfect friday evening...j made a great supper and then we all walked by the water, watching the sun change her colors, while enjoying gelatos. it was beautiful out. but by far my memory of the week....i was working at school (a long, hard day) and in the hallway at the end i hear "mama!" , i look up and here comes little buddy running top speed down the hall - arms out-stretched- grinning like a cheshire cat - right into my arms to give me a hug. now...those are the moments you tuck away forever. mi amore!
i also want to say how proud i am of my "sister" paige - her products are on sale at a funky shop for our college - shopscad and they will be doing a big display of scad artists in bloomingdale's in atlanta next month. her vintage pieces and her funky felt creations - well, they are just as wonderful and fabulously creative as she is. :)
today was a day for those...my dad used to call it that 'the blahs'. he got them and understood them. 'the blahs' are when you can't really pinpoint your mood. it isn't good or bad, not really happy but not quite sad. the weather seemed to feel the same way today too. it wasn't sunny but yet not rainy - not quite warm nor cool. being back at school getting ready for the year to begin, usually i am anxious and eager and feeling upbeat. but today wasn't it. (*sigh)
today i am reflecting...a friend of ours just lost his long battle with cancer and another friend of our family's lost hers last week. it's made me think a lot about life these last few days. there is so much of it that we take for granted. i wish that we would all tune into those glimpses of life that may not seem all that important as they are happening - but wind up being some of the most comforting of memories we conjure up when needed. it's always (for me anyway) the tiniest of details - the way the light is falling, a pattern or texture on the ground, a smell, watching the trees bend gently in a wind, the scent of on-coming rain... and the same goes for what i recall most fondly of people who are important in my life. it's never the big life-changing situations that sustain me - it's those small moments when maybe no one else even catches it...but i did...and i tucked it away safely in my dearest memories. i hate that it takes circumstances like loss to bring us back (if only briefly) to that hyper-sensitive reality of breathing in life and truly appreciating it - and really connecting with each other. some days what i long for the most - is that we can drop our armor and facades and be brave enough to be human with one another. this go - around happens so quickly and there is so much to be soaked in, experienced, lived, loved, changed, shared and inspired. i hope you take the risk.....
a toast... to my girlfriends!!
thank you for being such sources of inspiration, for lending an ear, sharing a kind word, contacting me and offering up your friendship at a time when i need the most and expect it the least (kt, a heartfelt thanks for today!!),for making me laugh, reminding me i am human, for keeping my secrets - for blessing my life. know that you are loved!! ciao bellas :)
home a week now and things are getting back to normal. even though it was a red flag day (too windy - no swimming) we hung out at the beach this afternoon. kai was thrilled with the chance to sort stuff in the sand - and i was just soaking up the sun and the surf (my ideal combo). it's good to be back. i feel like i am in sorting mode myself these days as i prepare my studio space for things to come. many a projects brewin' on my mindscape just hoping some make it to fruition. i have a week left of summer....plan on using it!
