bittersweet {snowy} days

Today is...our first snow!  I'm not much for the winter, but a good snowy day never goes unappreciated.  Don't ask me why it's exciting to wake up to a white world of quiet and gently dropping flakes.  It just is.  There's only one bummer...Howie B's job keeps him out tending to the snow every time it decides to drop in :(  So, the warm cozy house and potential outdoor fun is a bit wanting without him.

Sweet Keira and I bundled up to venture outside to see what fun we could get into.  For those of you with kids...I'm sure you know all too well that this sounds much easier than it is.  Dressing little ones for snow is a process.  It goes something like this:

Tee-shirt followed by long-sleeved shirt and then sweatshirt, fully zipped.  (Must not forget to pull the sleeves down to the wrists under the outer layer.)  Then pants and next socks, tucked up over the pant leg so no snow gets in...all proceeded by yet a warmer layer of pants.  Boots.  Snow jacket.  Hat. (Make sure to cover the ears.)  Mittens.  Hhmm....anything else.  Ah yes, camera.  And finally, time to go outside!!!  Off we go, but I immediately get the feeling sweet Keira is not quite into this today.  Go figure.  Needless to say, the eyes and nose started dripping and soon enough she pleaded a desperate, "Go home, Mommy?   Too cold."  Oh well.  We tried :)

Our best laid plans do not always have the results we imagine, but I've learned they often times turn into something just as good :)  We spent the rest of the morning inside, having fun, enjoying the day just as much.

ATTENDING TO OUR BIRD :)

PLAYING DRESS UP

BUILDING A BRIDGE AND LOOKOUT POST

AND... GENERAL GOOFING OFF

Even if your day is not turning out how you planned...I hope you are enjoying every minute of it :)  

happy weekend.

xoxo,

j

p.s.~ for those who haven't caught our latest news...our twins arriving in june appear to both be boys :)  double-trouble.  double-fun.  can't wait!

                                                 

home sweet home

...and so begins a new year.  Christmas and New Years have come and gone, along with the excitement and busyness that surrounds them.  I enjoyed the fun while it lasted :) 

We're now left with cold, very cold days, and long dark nights.  It seems the perfect time to nestle in and bundle up with a warm wood stove, blanket, or cup-o-tea ~ whichever suits your fancy.  I'm not sure about you, but these days I'm inclined to tidy up my house, my thoughts, and my plans for 2012.  It's good to remember that there are other ways of being productive besides working, playing, and romping around outside.  There is a time and place for it all.  Maybe now is a time to settle, to nest :)


xo, J

all in a day's work

Those of you who don't know me might not be aware that I live with Superman.  Howie is Mr. Build and Make Anything.  And I mean...anything.  After five years here, our house is turning into quite the place to be, in part because my hubby is oh-so-wonderful and can do oh-so-much.  Yesterday I mentioned that it might be nice to have a little stone patio out back under the arbor, the very same arbor we were married under almost six years ago.  Eventually, I want to have a backyard that feels like the Secret Garden.  Weathered.  Stone.  Mysterious.  A bit unruly.  That would be a dream.  And...after just one day we are a little bit closer.  He started this morning and finished this evening and it's already perfect.  Keira was quite the little slave driver, overseeing the work in her "job trailer" (aka: teeny, tiny, house).  We've been outside the whole day and having a ball.  I don't know about where you are, but around here...this weather is just perfect for the soul and very inspiring :)

swept away

Lately, it's as though I'm being swept away with the gentle spring breeze.  I'm just a freshly watered leaf who's along for the ride after some nourishment and growth.  All things greater than me, the things out of my control, seem to have taken over and I am happy to be moving at all.  I'm busy, but that's because I'm being productive.  I'm tired, but that's because I am working hard.  I'm antsy, but that's because I'm leaving the nest for a trip very soon.  I'm happy.  A lesson learned...once you make the effort to get the ball rolling, you never know where you might end up :)  I mean all this is a very good way because you can never go wrong with setting a goal, starting a plan, working hard, and inevitably...moving forward.  I hope you are feeling refreshed in this new season as well !!  Happy Weekend!

star garden

 

We had a little visit to Star Garden in Doylestown the other day.  What a magical place!!!  Created by the fabulous Katia McGuirk Tile Company, this is a haven for all those daily wanderers with an open eye for a gem of a place along their travels.  Hidden down a little alley, you might be so unfortunate as to pass right by without ever even knowing what you where missing.  But if you do stumble there, you are greeted with a little patch of grass, a hollowed out stone fountain, arced steps, and a mosaic wall you could stare at all day and still find something new the next time you visit.  The wall is full of little nooks and crannies, nature images, cracked tiles, bits of mirror, stone pebbles, pond animals, a gorgeous sun and butterfly, and on and on.  It's always exciting to find treasures inside those sculpted ceramic boxes stacked like a tower, left there by anther's visit to the garden.  I was so fortunate as to be able to make some of the ceramic tiles and sculptures found throughout the wall while I worked for Katia years ago and I still love to swing by every once in a while and be swept away into a dreamy land for a while. 

Are any such treasures to be found near your stomping ground?

green eggs and ham

Somehow, we've become the designated "meat cookers" for the holiday family dinners.  Thanksgiving is the turkey.  Christmas is the roast.  And Easter is the ham.  And you know what we think about that?  Great!!  We both love cooking and Keira loves helping.  She is the best little helper, standing up on her chair, trying to stick her fingers into whatever miraculous concoctions are occurring up on the counter.   And this year...we made some green eggs while the ham was basking in heavenly, gooey, brown sugar and honey glazed goodness in the oven.  Here's hoping your Easter was as fun as ours :)