Brown Paper Packages

summer 2012 :: mrs. tiggywinkle

comments overhead by the giggling camera mama:

"My goodness, Mama, your undies are sure big next to mine!"

"Huh!?!?  What are these?"

"Hey, you do have some pretty undies, Mama!"

a trip home

My hometown is in a unique geographical spot.  It’s a basin area between a large river and the edge of the Sandhills.  While many farm this area, its most delightful characteristic, I think, is all the grassland.  The meadows are thick and lush with the very best sort of native grasses for cattle and of course, making hay!  Because of the many creeks, large and small, that flow through this area there are many more trees than this vast corn-land I now live in. 

Sometimes, if you have a heartache and your soul needs a little feeding, a walk down the dirt road that leads past my old home is just the nourishment you need.  

 

In the summer, the ditches are full of these wild roses . . .

Cactus patches like this make me think of school - our little two-room school in the country sat on an acre of pasture that was full of cacti!  In the fall before school started, the parents would have a workday that included digging and ridding the playground of cactus.  I can’t say they were terribly successful - we spent a lot of time digging cactus out of our shoes, ankles and sometimes behinds! 

 

so much, right now

One day the weather is warm and we begin planting our garden.  And the next thing I know it is June, and the richness of spring is so very abundant around us.  I wonder how an entire month has slipped away.  But in looking through my photos, I realize that there was no slipping away, just so much, right now . . .

:: drinking in the beauty of the flowers and my small people who love to touch, be in among and pick their amazing blossoms for our dinner table . . .

:: enjoying the warm days and cool nights, suitable for minimal wardrobes and dipping toes in the sprinkles of the soaker hoses . . .

 :: loving all the bouquets that are brought to our table . . .

:: soaking in all the deliciousness that a dirt pile & a mud puddle can bring . . .

:: marveling at the writing, drawing and coloring sessions that have re-established themselves into a morning routine . . .   

:: smiling over the dancing in my living room . . .

:: always taken by surprise when the Indian maiden suddently appears in my kitchen, complete with face paint . . .

:: thankful for the presence of spring.   

out and about

Yesterday found us out and about, running errands and the like.  It was a beautiful day - 65 degrees with only a breeze and the birds singing.  August saw the cardinal early in the morning and Ruby wore her rainbow dress.  It was a fine day, indeed. 

soccer entertainment

For some reason this winter, it's been warm.  Really warm.  And since it was warm, we found some new front yard entertainment! 

Then, when the excitement of kicking around a ball and running around the yard has sufficiently tripped your trigger . . .

You make a house!  Reporting from 65 degrees in January, over and out. 

 

thankfulness, right now

'Tis the season of thankfulness, and to celebrate & focus on my own gratitude, I'm sharing a simple series of gratitude:

Right now, I am thankful for . . .

:: the privilege of being momma to these two spirited & creative children . . . 

:: holding first the tiny and dimpled hands . . . and now the growing hands covered in paint, glue, dirt, marker . . . and hold them I do . . .

:: both the welcome rhythmic structure of our days . . . and the unexpected turns & whirling adventures . . .

:: the giggles . . . the wit . . . the imagination . . . the connections . . . the many stops to observe, listen and touch the world . . .

:: and always the hugs . . . the kisses . . . the dancing in the kitchen . . . the curling up to read stories and the nests in which we cuddle . . .

:: for each moment of the day my heart bleeds, warms and melts . . . sometimes simultaneously . . .

For both of these children, I am thankful and so blessed. It very much takes my breath away.

 

 

thankfulness, right now

'Tis the season of thankfulness, and to celebrate & focus on my own gratitude, I'm sharing a simple series of gratitude:

Right now, I am thankful for . . .

:: see those?  Those little critters popping up right there?  Yep, riiiiiight there.  Just like unexpected little treasures you find, growing overnight it seems . . . there's a whole lot of those tiny surprises popping up these days . . .

:: perhaps it's because I've slowed down enough to see them . . . and am learning to let go of the stuff that gets in the way . . .

:: but whatever the reason, I have this feeling that is much like opening a new pad of paper and having just the right pen to write with upon it . . . all those fabulous pages to write or draw upon . . .

:: the funny thing is, I'm not really sure where it's all leading . . .

:: but that's part of the peaceful freedom. 

Of following your dreams and not letting life get in the way.  And being grateful for all the new bends in the road.

thankfulness, right now

'Tis the season of thankfulness, and to celebrate & focus on my own gratitude, I'm sharing a simple series of gratitude:

Right now, I am thankful for . . .

:: friends . . . that join us in fun and fellowship . . . children that play and sparkle with my own, giving our kids the chance to share and care for someone else  . . .

:: new acquaintances . . . someone I've yet to meet in person but am learning to know . . . someone that shares similar beliefs in nurturing and learning . . .

:: a hand-written note arriving in the mail from an old & dear friend - a treasured relationship that has lasted since college . . .

:: without a doubt, the answer to prayer . . . a family that graciously and willingly opens their arms and hearts to my children and offers myself a dose of inspiration, motivation and harmony each time we visit . . .

:: a friend I know really only by the magic of email, sharing in her happy news and rejoicing in her upcoming blessings - what joy!

:: and strangely enough, the peace that arrives when a friendship takes a graceful turn . . . when I realize it's okay that the seasons of our lives are now different, and to embrace it for what it was and what it now is . . .

Right now, I'm thankful. 

 

the little things

I was starting to think that perhaps I should just stop attempting to keep up with this . . . one more thing to feel obligated to do . . . one more thing to feel guilty about not achieving at the end of the day.  (Or month.)

But then I got to perusing this little space of mine, just for fun, and I realized that it really was a little peek into our world.   A snapshot in time, which is really what I intended when I started this side gig.  All too often I forget to remember those silly or heart-melting moments, or how a particular day of nothing-too-important was really something to recall.  I think, even though erratic, it serves to make me more mindful and present about this life that is in front of me.  Right now kind of stuff. 

Like the joy and discoveries of a park. And Grandpas.  Trains, literally running through the middle of the house. Imaginations, for which there is no substitute. Nothing earth-shattering . . . just ordinary, but yet oh-so-very important in the life of a person, big or small.   By themselves, just random seconds of a day, seemingly not connected. 

But together, they make a whole lot of minutes very significant.

I think my dog is erping up a red Nerf football.  She ate it today.  I don’t mean chewed, I mean ingested. 

See what I mean?  I am so totally present right now.  I’m so glad I had this talk with myself - I might have forgotten to remember the significance of this moment.  

:: right now ::

Right now, I am...

:: remembering how fun kitty-cats can be.  Oh, to pat a kitty paw on my face right now!

:: admiring my maple tree in the back yard . . . and loving that my son is now identifying leaves . . .

:: ready for the snow that's supposed to arrive tomorrow!  (We've had a few forays out and about in the lawn in the snow garb, but let's face it - it's just not the same when it's 60 degrees.)

:: enjoying 'milkshakes' from my favorite milkshake stand in our neighborhood, made by my favorite milkshake barista . . .  

:: quite pleased, (very, very pleased!) with our new nature table and bookshelves.  (What would I furnish my house with if not for wooden fruit crates?)

:: impressed with how Ruby's backpack turned out!  She loves it, it was fun to make . . . that's the kind of stuff I like . . .

:: always amazed with the little treasures Mother Nature sprinkles about in our yard . . .

:: delighted that our little puppy fits in just like she's always lived here.  (Well, with the one exception that August summed up so well:  "Ruby!  We can't leave our stuff laying around all over the place!  It's not like before!"  As though we were total slobs before we got a dog.) 

:: always up for a purchase from the local selling stand.  This time?  Pumpkin bread and flower petals.  (Sold separately, of course.)  And water for free.  These little stands crop up like crazy around here - could be several in a day.  If only we had more traffic!  :-)   

:: relishing the rhythm of a slow, simple day . . . a happy day.