sperlygirl

a fairy dusting...

saturday morning we awoke to a fairy dusting of snow. just enough to add sparkle to everything outside. just enough to lightly carpet the grass, revealing only those magical footprints of the creatures who visited at dawn. just enough to make the wind bitter, to make hot tea and hot cocoa taste more special, just enough to enjoy the beauty of it. 

this weekend, i finished a couple paintings. one is for my friend and it hasn't been an easy one to paint as there is much to let go of within and around it, but the process has allowed some healing for my heart. i will post a photo...but not until it reaches its new home first. 

unfortunately this weather has also brought illness to our house, again. and we have a little one who is bravely fending off a virus strep. so i think today will be one of cartoons on the sofa with a cups of hot chamomile for my little guy. 

 

welcoming autumn...

...with a bucket full of treats, an evening echoing of giggles, a crescent moon hanging brightly in the sky, and the promise of autumn with every changing leaf

where did october go...

so here we are already at halloween. we spent yesterday knee-deep in tin-foil trying to build the greatest robot EVER for kai. i think we came awfully close. he thinks it's the greatest robot ever, so must mean we hit the mark. today we prepare, with final touches to candy bins and treat bags for friends...and an evening of gathering all things sugary awaits.

in the blur that has been october, i was trying to think of a few simple joys that we have enjoyed lately:

the colors and light of autumn

cups of hot tea

breaking out the leggings and wrist warmers

ryder bundled up in stocking hats

kai's endless diagrams and drawings of the world's best robot

a great dinner at a favorite place with my mom

taking some creative leaps

 

summer, she lingers still...

she is having a hard time saying goodbye, even into october. although the evenings extinguish their lights earlier now, the days carry her presence on her sunbeams. my little guys cannot simply walk near the water, they still run right into her waves - hoping to hold onto one last swim in the salt water before it becomes too cold. i must say, her hesitation to leave, seems to muddy my thoughts a bit too. autumn has always brought a crisp refocus into my world, snapping me gently back into a reality with a warm cup of spicy tea, a layered scarf, and a cozy cardigan. but instead, i find myself drifting into daydreams against the warmth of the air. i think, i too, am finding it difficult to say farewell to her. 

healing...

today at physical therapy, i ran...longer than i have since i injured my knee in january. it's still not where i was (or would like to be) but it is a sign of healing and that's something to hold onto and work with. yoga is still a couple weeks off yet and i so look forward to it.

the place where i go to rehab is full of stories of healing. i love glancing around the room and watching people in their various stages of recovery, strengthening their bodies, and proving to themselves their own strength. 

*a beautiful tune to heal by*

possibility...

i read andrea's post the other day and it really resonated with me...ringing still in my ears. i share her experience of tipping the 'i'm not enough' meter when reading though some blogs - even some that i adore. and i too waffle with how much reality i actually share here so as to illuminate that balance.

as in life, most of the 'messy' of my life i tend to hold onto rather than share. but trust me, it is here. baskets of dirty laundry, my love/hate relationship with Lego's, striving to find patience for little boys after a long day with others' children, worrying about if my parenting skills are ultimately going to send my babes into therapy or if we're doing okay, being at work and wishing i was at home with them, balancing that guilt, bridiling a need to create juxtaposed with the lack of hours in the day to do so...and so it goes. 

it is easy to become caught up in those messy swirling thoughts and it's this place where i choose to redirect them, refocus them. it is this place where i gently remind myself of possibility.

a little quiet...

now is the time for some healing. i am trusting the doctors will work their magic on my knee this week and i'll do the same with therapy afterwards. in the meantime, i will breathe in all the summer sunshine that i can...and maybe put this tune on repeat in my ears.

busy hands...

my hands have been busy lately - creating, painting, sewing, photographing, and drawing. some of these things have found their way into my etsy.

i sewed a few vibrant colored headbands (the design inspired by my super talented and dear friend paige), they are a fun way to accent an outfit with a POP of color. created with cotton fabric and embellished with lace and french velvet ribbon found in the local markets, they can help pull off a finished hairstyle (even if you aren't able to get to a brush....trust me on this one!) ;)

i also whipped up some teeny tote treasure bags. i live in a house with two small pirates and we often head out for walks, or treasure hunts, as they are known 'round these parts. these teeny totes are perfect for little hands to carry and load up with all the various treasures they can discover in a neighborhood walk. ours have carried home the likes of rocks, leaves, sticks, seashells, and other discarded items that look like treasure to us. of course, they are also nice to tuck a bar of scented soap, a scattering of seashells, and a few sprigs of freshly cut lavender tied with twine, for a sweet little gift.

 

 

right now...

i have felt quiet here this past week - been trying to shift some energy around a bit. i have many burners going which is a good thing, but sometimes it feels a bit crazed. i had a painting i had been working on. i loved where she was going until i tried to 'finish her' and things quickly went down hill. so i gessoed over her and will start again. my sewing machine and i have been hitting it off lately, and that has been fun. and i am continuing work on an illustration project for a dear friend which is encouraging me to stretch in many different ways. all of this energy feels really good and i am trying to harness it a bit.

but then again, it is summer. her bright hues wake me early, filling our room with enough soft light for me to watch ryder sleep. the beach beckons and little boys beg to hit the sand and once there, spend countless hours in the water. and i must say, that is a distraction that is nearly impossible to say no to. and then there are the evenings bathed once again in that long, lingering sunlight which seems to illuminate dinners outside and give permission for 'just one more s'more'. and then there are the friends with whom we have begun to spend more time with lately, infusing cultures and language and amazing food with the sea as our backdrop. 

sea, sun, salt...

summer is ruled by the sea in our house. we head down there every chance we get.

today the weather threatened and teased us a bit but we went anyway. a few hours spent in rolling waves. water not calm enough for swimming, but it didn't matter. we jumped over them, dove into them, and played in them. 

sailboats peppered the horizon. tiny shells glistened up like half buried treasures from the sand. little boys giggling at the shoreline. soft sand in between little toes. salty tasting skin and hair. gelato dripping onto fingers. babes tired out by sun and surf.

yes, it was the most glorious of afternoons.