Well hey and howdy folks! It's been awful quiet around here, hasn't it?
We were having such a good time romping around the woods with my Granny that we stayed longer than expected. We really needed that… a little slow down, breathe deeply, reconnect time. So thank you for bearing with us.
There's really nothing like a few days of sitting in the swing, drawing, catching up, sipping tea and watching the kids get dirty to screw a girl's head on straight. I brought home lots of laundry, a dirty car, happy kids, buckets of plants that my Granny swears I can't kill, and some much needed perspective.
In effort to remember the things I learned in the woods, and to try and hang onto a little of the peace we gained there, I"m going to try to turn down the burner and let the blog simmer a bit. For the rest of the month I'm going to post just one photo and a sentence or two each day … little reminders (for me) of the stuff worth thinking on, the simple pleasures and small wonders – a meditation of sorts.
It's going to be a busy month, and I've been so anxious lately about too many things. I need to let go of that and remember the sound of the wind through the pines. I hope that this blog project will help me do that and that maybe it will be a little bright spot in your day too. Feel free to play along if you like!
Today's Small Wonder?
Little boys eating ice cream and playing Uno on their great grandmother's porch. 25 years ago, you would have found me doing the very same thing (including the peeking that little hooligan in the middle is doing!). My Momo played a mean game of Uno and dished up my ice cream in a coffee mug too – it's one of my favorite memories, and one I'm glad that my men are making their own.
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{ 26 comments }
oh, don’t we all need to do this every so often? by which i refer to both the slowing down and simmering and the uno playing. i used to play uno with my gram all the time as a kid. that and tiddlywinks. thanks for the memory and making me smile (as usual, when you’re not making me cry). so glad you had that time….
it brings me back to what I used to do at my great grandmother’s house… coloring pages, sneaking homemade noodles while they were raw… fun stuff!
So amazingly sweet! Enjoy your blogging break…I’m just coming off of mine and def. feel renewed and ready to dive into the blog again!
A
Oh, I remember UNO at my grandparents’ house, too! We’d all sit around their big dining table and play together – adults and kids alike, sometimes as many as ten of us getting in on the action. Good times
For my boys it’s the front porch & Yahtzee
Thanks for sharing & helping me take a deep breath too!
Welcome back! Glad you had a happy rest. I’m ready for some quiet time in the woods. We have to wait a little longer, though. Our weather isn’t quite ready to let us go into the mountains. In the meantime, we’re watching our garden grow, peeking in on our nest of baby robins’ eggs (there are 5 beautiful blue eggs!) and waiting for those butterflies to come… In toher words, we’re loving up the little moments we are getting outdoors.
I love the idea of playing cards on the porch.
So glad you’re back! I missed you! (your blog at least)
Uno & ice cream is a wonderful combo. I used to play with my Granny, and even let her use blue when the color was actually green (her eye sight wasn’t the best, and this was one of my first lessons in the true meaning of playing fair). It was wonderful. Thanks for awakening the memory!
Maybr I need a blog break too! I haven’t felt very inspired lately yet feel guilty for neglecting things. Hmmm…might have to give it a try. Thanks for the idea and enjoy your break!
I think you are very wise to slow down and savor. A woman I teach with told me years ago that we have to be our own gatekeepers. The world, our students, our jobs, our home, our church, our friends, our world…. All will ask more and more of us. No one else can be our gatekeeper. We have to do it for ourselves. Over the years, I’ve found that she is exactly right. We have to take care of ourselves so that we can take care of all the others in our lives. So. While I will miss your words, I am so glad to hear this from you. Take care.
you are a beautiful blogging soul and i appreciate your posts whenever they show up. the photo of your little men playing uno, as you used to do, mugs of ice cream at hand is pure magic. thank you, as ever, for sharing what gleams for you in this space.
What a fabulous reminder to all of us moms who are rushing through the month of May to get to summer break! Thank you for that wonderful “slow-down and savor the moment” post. I am thankful for the little things too, but if we are rushing to fast all of the little things seem only like a blur! I will enjoy slowing down with you. Thank you for the inspiration. You are a blessing.
Sounds wonderful!
Great idea to slow down and let some things go during a busy season. Sometimes it’s hard to do but so worth it!
Jamie
Love that pic! Memories!
Enjoy your time of simmering. Kinda sounds like a spa treatment!
I have a grandmother in law that I feel that way about. She makes the best sweet tea ever! She worked in a nightgown factory her whole life. She’s an excellent seamstress. She loves to make my kids cute patchwork clothes and skirts. I’m hoping to learn some of her skills. She keeps life simple and finds joy in the little things. I love to listen to her stories to help get my head on straight and get a new perspective.
Ha! While you were sneaking noodles, I was sneaking biscuits!
Thanks! And welcome back!
Oh my goodness! A robin’s nest? That is too too cool!
Aw… that is so sweet! We need some work on that whole “playing fair” bit around here. I have one guy that is SO super competitive. He can’t play a game against ANYONE, even folks he loves, without wanting to grind his opponent into the dust.
Gatekeeper… I like that so much.
There are so many good things to say yes to, that it can be so hard to say no!
I think it will do us good to take it easy for a bit though. Thank you so much for your encouragement!
aw… my soul is blushing a little
Oooooh a spa treatment! I like the sound of that!
There’s just nothing at all like a Granny to put it in perspective is there? I always come away from mine feeling like I need to take a breath more often and opt out of all the silly running around and worrying I get myself into.
Anything done on the back porch is good in my book. We love to spread the comfy blankets and curl up for an outdoor movie on the weekends (only on our laptop, as we just can’t seem to spring for a projector:))….and with my grandma, it was always Crazy 8′s on the back porch after dinner, with fresh whipped cream topping strawberry shortcakes when the season was right. Still one of my favorite memories ever. On one of the blogs I write for I did a little photo-a-day manifesto of sorts to get me through part of the cold and dark month that is February….you can find it here:
and I can tell you, it was hugely inspiring within our home and really sweet for me to slow down, not say much, and just focus on being present (more in my immediate life, not on the computer). By the way, the Magnifying Glass is just swell. Love that Louv’s work is taking off around the country in such cool, cool ways.
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