real life

a moment captured of brother teaching his little sister how to play the game of life.

  

i enjoyed the sweetness from the other room, peeking in just enough to snap a photo and escape before being invited to play along.

i then quietly retreated to the upstairs to take a quick shower.

not 5 minutes later, jane barges into the bathroom, crying, to tell me that she had baby boy twins, not girl twins, that she lost her job, and that bennett is a poopy face. 5 minutes later.

i then lived the real game of life - naked parenting, disciplining and consoling through a shower curtain, while shaving my legs.

where is that tile on the game of life board?

beauty in the chips

while setting the table 

for company

i realized how chipped our

bowls are.

for a moment i dwelled in

frustration and embarrassment,

wondering if our friends would notice or care.

but then i remembered that

we've had these bowls for fifteen years.

that they have been the faithful

carriers of countless

bowls of soup, ice cream, cereal,

grapes, chili, oatmeal and popcorn.

that they've been packed 

and moved into the 

kitchens of a

newlywed couple's apartment in the city,

and a young family's homes in the country.

that they nest inside each other

creating unity in our cabinets,

but also awkward angles,

meaning they get bumped and nudged

on the daily.

that when the lopsided towers

are out on the counter,

it means that company is coming,

and that there is soup or chili simmering on the stovetop,

or that there is ice cream and toppings in the fridge.

that being a vessel

for preparing, serving, gathering,

slurping, scraping

and dish washing is bound to 

come along with some bumps, bruises and breaks.

that i can

relates to these chipped up bowls.
very much.

that filling a bowl

is like

filling a cup...

filling tank...

filling a heart...

filling a soul.

and when a few chips

break off in the midst,

that there is beauty in the chips.

***

sisters,

are you feeling a bit chipped?

if so,

i'd love to invite you to a workshop

i'm hosting next thursday with my friend molly.

m&e's

{me}

winter wellness workshop

you can find

details and registration

here.

or just reach out!

thankful tuesday, 1/29

let's start by saying

how grateful i was to receive this

most beautiful piece of fruit.

not only was it

the best orange EVER...

i loved the classic old fashion simplicity

of gifting a single piece of fruit.

i took it's picture

before i event took a bite.

i just knew it would be special.

it reminded me of one of the scenes in little women,

when laurie leaves a single orange in the march sisters' mailbox

to let them know their friend was home.

i love that scene

and always hoped someone would 

leave an orange in my mailbox...

this was kinda like that.

and lastly because,

getting to see my orange gifting friend

during the small window we

both had in our week 

blessed my socks & my tastebuds off.

thankful indeed.

• a night away just the five of us
• being a new englander
• grandparents in the bleachers
• doing hard things
• when your song comes on at the gym
• self-inflicted haircut ridiculousness
• sweet potato fries
• jane's reading
• hand-me-down therapy sessions
• super bowl excitement
• educating with educators
• m&e planning with molly
• letting your kids see you cry
• berea with ella
• fingerprints on door jams
• bennett explanations of fingerprints on so many door jams
• family meeting and that wes and i are the ones in charge

little blue house

a little over eleven years ago

a young couple and their one year old baby girl

moved to a town called medway.

they purchased a tiny 

two-bedroom,

antique colonial, 

ironically located on mansion street,

in the town's historic district.

the little house

with dreamy wide pine floors

was a fixer upper

who the couple poured into

while their baby girl slept.

the yard was itty bitty, teensie weensie,

but it had walking access to the charles river,

where the family sailed boats and hunted for worms.

the family hosted very cozy 

holidays,

birthdays,

and pumkin carvings

with just their immediate families.

the floors creaked,

the children shared a bedroom that was also their playroom,

and the dining room was mama's office.

over the years
they hung blue balloons

 to welcome their son,

and pink balloons 

to welcome their baby girl.

then one day,

not too long after becoming a family of five,

they moved to the other side of medway,

to a home with a big ol' yard,
space to spare,
and where they host gatherings
with lots and lots of families.

while they no longer lived

in the little blue house on mansion street

it was still theirs.

they rented it to family,

visited often,

and smiled whenever they drove by.

and well as 

as seasons in life go,

this week they said good bye to
their first home,
fixer upper,
and beginning of their
life in the town they love.

so long
little blue house with red door,
so long,
we will never forget you.

thankful tuesday, 1/8

new year,

new beginnings,

more thankful tuesdays.

"the real things haven't changed.

it is sill best to be honest & truthful; 

to make the most of what we have; 

to be happy with simple pleasures; 

and have courage when things go wrong."

(laura ingalls wilder)

• the practice of gratitude
• almost 7 years since my first thankful tuesday post
• lots of christmas break snuggles
• moving more
• charcuterie boards
• getting out of town
• dribbling basketballs (outside, not inside)
• staying at home
• being neighbors
• sharing with ella
• visiting & gathering
• lingering in christmas
• cousins who get each other
• jane's missing two front teeth smiles
• glimpses of the the future
• blasting hype jams with bennett
• passages that get me every time
• winter hikes
• baby hand giggles
• card games with fellow cheaters
• wide open calendar spaces
• my new roomba named harold
• anticipating new babies to meet and to love

here's to gratitude,

and how it turns everything

into enough.

christmas instabits

we enjoyed the last of our 

christmas celebrations yesterday.

our tree is still up,

the cards are still hung

and the christmas music is still being played.

tomorrow the trimmings will begin to come down,

but in the meantime let's linger,

in the joy and the blessing that it was.

a joy and a blessing

far bigger than my "baby hands" can capture,

so i'll let these christmas instabits do it for me.

(note...the baby hand above...a yankee swap gift that keeps on giving 

in laughs and creepy greetings wherever i go!)

until next year

dear friends...

happy christmas & good tidings

to you and to yours.