Look Up

The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness, fullness thereof.  

This week, the tulip trees (Japanese magnolias?) have begun blooming all over the city.  I notice them as I am rushing to drop of my daughter at school, rushing to work, rushing home, rushing to the grocery store, and generally, well, rushing around.

I notice them, and they call to me.
To slow down.  To look up.  To take time, just a moment, to appreciate them while they are here.  Because they won't last forever.  Some gifts are brief.

And so yesterday, I paused.  I stood under a tree in a parking lot and looked up.

And peace came. I didn't even know I called it.  But it came.


What gifts call you to pause, and notice them? 

Digging in the Dirt

Flannery has been helping me get our back yard garden plot ready for planting.  We raked one weekend, weeded one weekend, and cultivated the soil one weekend.  But, we've been so busy since then that we've only planted some flowers so far--I'd been hoping to have so much more planted already!  But I'm holding out hope that life and work will calm down a bit soon so that we can get some other more exciting plants in the ground.   The good news is that we've found a gazillion earthworms whom Flanna has named and studied and grown to love.  Perhaps that means the soil here will be fertile!

What project are you starting?

Experience Nature

a Camelia tree by our driveway

One of the things that has made me happiest this week has been to see the insanely early blooms on our trees.  I think getting to see some rejuvenation in nature has really helped me feel like I'm healing and making a fresh start.  It's been energizing, even, I think.

our neighbor's tulip tree (Japanese magnolia) - my favorite!

Hopefully the cold weekend ahead won't ruin the beauty all around!  Although, if we were to perhaps get snow, I guess I'd be okay with the trade.



What brought you a bit of happiness this week?

Experience Nature

This weekend, my niece spent the night with us on Friday, and on Saturday, I took the girls to a park near Flannery's school.  They played for hours there--swinging, climbing trees, kicking a ball around, finding bugs.   Then we came back to the house and did some projects on the back deck to get ready for Flannery's birthday.  It was so nice to spend big chunks of time outside--it really calmed my frayed nerves.

On another note, Flannery's birthday present has arrived--her very own swing-set!  It's in a box in our back yard as we speak.  Fingers crossed we can figure out how to put it together!  I'll post pics once it's up!


How did you experience nature this weekend?

Have lots of Picnics

My mom saved a letter that my grandma Norma wrote to me when I was about 4, and in the letter, I remember my grandma said that she hoped I got to "have lots of picnics" that week.  I think of that sometimes when I'm trying to find something to do that Flannery and I will both enjoy.  It seems like good advice, to "have lots of picnics," because every time a  meal is a picnic, it becomes special.

Today, Flannery had a teacher's work day, so I took the day off to be with her.  We had such a calm and peaceful day.  We stayed in our pajamas until probably 11 or so, playing with her train set, painting, and snuggling together watching some cartoons.  Then, we walked down the street to the Methodist children's home and had a picnic.

The Children's Home is great--there is a park, there are gardens, there are ball fields, and there's even a duck pond on the campus.  There's also an old chapel there that is just gorgeous.  And today, one of the master gardeners happened to be working in the garden while we were there for our picnic, and she let us inside the chapel!  I'd been wanting to see the stained glass windows from inside, and they did not disappoint!  The gardener told us that the chapel had been built in 1907 and that it had been the church she had attended as a child.  The Candler family gave the money to have it built, and it's been preserved beautifully.  Flannery loved the organ inside, and the tiny flowers outside that grow between the rocks in the garden.   And I loved the dark wood of the pews and the ceiling--and the interesting window dedicated to Asa Candler.

It was like finding a little treasure to get to see all those beautiful sights today--and none of it would've happened if we hadn't decided to have a picnic.

How can you work a picnic into your schedule?  My coworker, Kristen, and I used to take our lunch outside on nice days back in Chapel Hill, and it was such a mini vacation to be outside in the sunlight now and then.  

Create Something with Your Hands - Our New Motto

My niece and my daughter love to spend hours outside in the back yard digging and "cooking" and creating their own little imaginary world.   I let them have an old sheet I was going to send to Goodwill, and they added to our teepee to create something really special, complete with ribbons and pipe cleaner 

decorations (that look pretty native to me).   They were so pleased with themselves, and Flannery gets a kick out of seeing her hand-made teepee every time we go outside.  

Create something with your hands.  It's our new motto, and it really does boost our happiness around here.  

What have you created lately that you were proud of?

Experience Nature

Today, I worked from home, and at lunch time, Flannery and I got to have a special picnic in the back yard.  The dogs came outside, too, and we all lazed around in the shade for a bit just feeling the breeze and munching on healthy food.  It was such a mood booster that it made me brainstorm ways to be outside more in my day-to-day work routine.

Anyway, we've had some really special times together outdoors this summer, and I wanted to share a few of those experiences so we don't forget them!  

We spent a day at the lake with my sister-in-law and Robi's brother, and we had such a great time!  Flannery got to "drive" the jet ski, and we were brave enough to go for a ride on the sea biscuit.   Robi's brother pulled us and was very gentle, and Flannery was so funny--she kept yelling, "Faster, Uncle Chris!"  (I was thinking just the opposite!)

Flannery's also gotten pretty brave at trying her hand at swimming this summer.  She's been swimming really independently with water wings, and has been brave enough to put her face under water a few times.  She's so proud of herself and her newfound comfort in the water!

We also went to Stone Mountain (where Robi and I got engaged 13 years ago!) with a big bunch of friends and family, and the girls got to run around and hear music and play with glow-sticks together.  Such fun to have all these cousins around!

Anytime we're outside together as a family, it's just automatically a pretty happy experience.  We can't wait for the weather to cool off so we can start thinking about camping!

What outdoor experiences bring you and your friends/family together?

Experience Nature: The Amazing Bug Catchers

the tiniest lizard ever!

Flanna's Grammie got her a bug box in the spring, and she has just fallen in love with bugs since then!  Her favorites are roley poleys (sp?).   She found a tiny lizard on the back porch the other day, and she kept it in her bug catcher for a few hours before we released it.  She even caught a little bug to feed to the lizard all on her own!

Then, on Wednesday, the girls caught a butterfly.  They made it a nice little habitat with flowers and leaves and kept it for about 30 minutes so they could observe it a bit.  They were so gentle and careful with the butterfly, and I was really proud of their empathy toward it.

When we're all feeling grumpy and stressed and tired and grouchy, just going outside can really lift our mood.  But going outside AND interacting with tiny creatures--now that just makes us plain giddy.

the butterfly in its cozy habitat

searching for bugs

on a mission to find nice bugs

Poor Flanna - this was the day after she sprained her arm, and it still hurt anytime it moved.  

How are you going to experience nature this weekend?

Experience Nature

I had the sweetest little moment this evening.

After work, Flanna and I had dropped by my friend's house (where we're  keeping all of our boxes and furniture until we find our place) to pick up a princess dress from among our packed boxes.  (Apparently I was severely mistaken to think that Flanna could go 6 weeks without her princess dresses.)

Annnyway, we thought we'd check to see if the horses were around so we could see them and pet them a bit.  (There's a barn with 2 horses behind the house.)  We called to the horses with our clicky little noises, and both horses--one dark brown, one light brown (am I revealing how little I know about horses?)-- came eagerly to the fence.  I wasn't sure how calm or gentle they were, so I pet them a bit at first to see if they were gentle enough for Flannery.  And, oh, my!  They were so calm and sweet!

Flannery pet the light brown horse for so long that the horse actually closed her eyes, lay her head atop the fence, and seemed to be falling asleep while we were petting her.  It was such a peaceful moment of connection, and just a completely different world from the traffic and craziness of earlier that day.  I think Flannery and I both breathed more deeply.

Time spent in nature is restorative.  Is beautiful.  Is good for us.  Is a real gift.

And I'm thankful for it.



How can you experience nature this weekend?




Oh,  by the way, if you want to see some adorable pictures, just google "horse nose."  Who knew horse noses were so photogenic?

Experience Nature: A Gorgeous Weekend

enjoying Locopops at American Tobacco

One of the things that makes me happiest is being outside in nature.  Some of my happiest memories as a child are sitting in a special climbing tree in our woods reading a book, or taking walks in the woods to a special mossy spot with my dogs. 

Anyway, this weekend was just gorgeous, and we got to spend so much time outdoors.  It was really wonderful.  On Friday, Robi, Flannery, and I joined our friends and their daughter to see a band play at American Tobacco.  Flannery and her friend got to play, dance, and eat Locopops popsicles together.  We stayed out way too late, but it was worth it. 

On Saturday, Flannery and I walked to the park and spent several hours playing and picnicking there.  While Flanna played, I got to read a few chapters of my Harry Potter book, which I've really been enjoying!  (I'm going to be sad when I finish the series, I think!  It's so exciting having a new chapter to look forward to each day!)  Flannery's learning to cross the monkey bars and kept wanting to practice it over and over with me "spotting" her (a.k.a., catching her every few seconds!).   

Flanna said, "It's gonna take you 11 years to finish that book!"  But I finished it today!

Can you believe these amazing gardenias?

The most beautiful flower I've seen this spring.

Then, today after church, we transplanted the seedlings that we had started from seed several weeks back.  Flannery made some cute tomato-teepees from sticks to keep the squirrels from digging up our delicate seedlings, and she also wrote the tiny plant markers.  I thought it was really cool that, not only did she write them (with me helping her sound out each letter), but after she wrote them, she was able to pick out which one we needed from the group of markers when I asked for the one that said "peppers" or "basil."  It's exciting to see her reading & writing skills coming along bit by bit. 

The "tomato teepee" Flannery made to protect our seedlings from squirrels.

Dill

Rosemary

mint

yellow flowers...so cheery!

We planted some herbs, tomatoes, and flowers, and then the mosquitoes emerged and chased us inside.  Robi made an amazing BBLT (bacon, basil, lettuce, & tomato sandwich) that was such a simple and fresh (can I describe a bacon meal as fresh?) way to end the day.   It was just such a gorgeous weekend, and I tried to really be in the moment and appreciate it. 

I know that too soon, lazy days spent with our little family will be few and far between.  Flanna will be busy with sports or drama or ballet or whatever it is she's going to be into, and Robi's job will get more demanding when he's tenure-track, too.   But for now, I am soaking up these sweet weekends spent together with my wonderful hubby and daughter. 



How did you experience nature this week?  Did it make you happier?