Our water trip with grammy

We went to the lake last night to visit my grandmother aka Grammy.  It was a special trip as it almost took the place of our much beloved yearly journey to the ocean to visit Grammy and giant papa.   Missing that trip left a hole in us for many reasons but we just couldn't make it this year.  It wouldn't be right without papa...  That said this mini vacation took on a new importance to me and it was fitting that it be near a body of water.  We had a blast!  The trip for me had a different sort of feeling, surreal almost.  The largest part of me felt like I stepped back in time to 1960's.  I just could envision myself serving bacon and eggs lake side in a halter top and pig tail braids jamming out to Lynard Skynard while the little ones jump off the dock.  Thanks to the magic of photo enhancement  I was able to display my photos to you all in a way that almost captures what I was seeing in my minds eye.  So without further ado I give you our trip to the lake.......

              Freedom's first dip in a lake (that he will remember)

Before long he was swimming like a fish...

While Daddy kept a watchful eye

Uncle Konnor got into the action

Kept Free pretty entertained

But couldn't convince him to jump in

 "Look Freedom I can jump sideways!!"

Eventually he was ready to get out,

but leave it to mom to stop and smell the flowers...

It became a very daisy themed trip, they have always been my favorite!

This picture was taken in the window of the cottage as we were crossing the street,

Free thought I was nuts when I said freeze, but the reflection was too cool to pass up!

So we went in to get some dry stuff on and get ready for a sunset walk.

We explored, and found some neat things on the way..

"How cool, what does it go to, mama?"

Someone popped out to say hello

Finally ready for the walk, just waiting for mama

We saw so many beautiful things! 

Up the creek..

Down the creek..

My son found a daisy of his own

Just like his mama!

And daddy found a moment of bliss

Free decided to share the daisy with me

"Or you  can put it in your hair mom!"

I saw a hopeful  future for John and I...

And shadows of our  present

Cypress saw a dog barking,

though Free jumped almost out of his skin,

Cypress thought it was hilarious!

By the end of the trip my friend the daisy had about had it...

I returned to find Grammy watching the last of the sunset enjoying cherries, yum!

Finally my friend gave up!

The boys spent some quality time together in the evening

And two sisters spent some quality time together in the morning

I hope Dylan and I share those moments some day, how beautiful!

Grammy and I enjoyed the morning coffee

And I set off to visit with the "keeper of fortunes"

She passed on this nugget of wisdom..

As well as this...

What a wise sage!  Maybe she was responsible for this?

And as I was leaving I couldn't help but wonder...

Is this where the key belongs?

We had such a good time and I wish I had more.  There were so many beautiful and interesting things there, both the obvious and the more abstract.  I was happy to be away from home and reconnect with all the beauty of the season.   I was happy to see all my boys smile and each discover treasures of their own.  I hope this leaves them all lasting memories like it has me.  Thank you Grammy from sharing this water trip with us. 

Puddle Jumping

At some point this afternoon we got the pleasure of a heavy down pour.  Shortly after that I was reminded of my list of comforts I made this morning and I realized one that I forgot to add.  So I interrupted my sons lunch and instructed him to put on his rain boots and meet me outside.  He was a bit confused but I'm sure my excited tone made him too curious to refuse.

Rain boots, check!

 I asked if he had any clue why he had been summoned to our front yard, which he did not.  I did not hesitate to demonstrate, wish I had pictures of that!

It was beautiful montage of water and mud and laughter!

I am working hard on saying yes more often and creating more simple moments that he can carry to his children.

We explored the depths of the marsh...

We found treasures amidst the muck...

And shared them with each other!

All and all the entire experience filled my heart with laughter, which we also shared.  We found happiness in simplicity, which was a former goal of mine I am currently revisiting.  When i asked him how it made him feel hours later his response was "awesome, whaa hoo, the best, cannonball, splash!!"

Mission accomplished!

How do you find happiness in simplicity?

Something comforting

So one of my new favorite hobbies is checking out the recent posts for all the blogs I follow and I found a few I would like to share with you:

First and foremost, I found a beautiful suggestion for writing a comfort list here.  Imene posted hers and I was inspired to do the same.  You can view my list in her comments.  I found this so refreshing just taking the time to recognize the beauty in your life for what it is and appreciate it.  Thanks Imene!

Also, I have to include a link to the fabulous bamboo sailboat made by Ariella and her brood over at CHILDHOOD MAGIC  It is such a neat idea and I cannot wait to go get some bamboo and try it with my little ones.  Always a pleasure to "borrow" your projects Ariella!

And I also stumbled across a little giveaway at New Zealand Handmade.  These softhearth originals are adorable.  They were needle felted which always makes me swoon.  Someday I swear I am going to learn some form of felting as the projects that are produced are the most gorgeous things I have ever seen!

And just one more.  I found this article about tantrums to be quite a revelation for me and it has changed the way I will forever view my children's behavior.  Such a blessing to come across someone with such an insightful view on parenting, my son thanks you!

Just wanted to take a minute and share a few of my recent treasures I have uncovered.  Be sure to check them out I promise you won't be disappointed.

Making Glitter Globes

So we finally got around to making these glitter globes for the teacher's gifts.  It took us all day thanks to the baby and dinner and baths etc. but we finished.  I got the original idea for family fun's no snow globes, but these have been greatly adapted to meet our needs.  So here's what we did...

First you have to get some empty jars and clean them out.  I let Free dry them once I got all the paper and glue off.

I made each a little sign that said Mrs. Chalk's Desk and Mrs. Lamica's Desk on black paper and glued them to brown paper and cut them out to look like little chalk boards.  On the back I had Free write his name and I wrote the year, just to add a bit of sentimental value.

Next I covered them with packing tape thoroughly so that they would not leak inside the globe.  Laminating would be great too but wasn't an option for me so I went with the tape.  I also affixed a wire to them so I had something to glue to the lid to keep them in place.

Next I hot glued this sign and some flowers and a butterfly to the inside.

Be sure to check the fit of the arrangement frequently so that you don't make it to big for  jar.

Next fill the jar almost all the way to the top with water and add a bit of glitter (don't overdue it I learned this lesson the hard way) probably about a tablespoon.   I also added a bit of shiny heart confetti made of plastic that added a bit of fun to our sea of glitter.

Make sure when you put in the flowers in there are no pieces sticking out when you try to close the lid or it will leak.  Closing the lid may take a few tries.  Make sure to shake it about a few times to check for any leaking water.  Once your satisfied with the seal you can hot glue the seal to make sure no water escapes down the road.

Next thing we did was cut a piece of green fabric into a square large enough to cover the lid.  Size will depend on the size of your jar.  Then I covered the lid with hot glue and affixed the fabric to it.

Cut off the extra fabric as close as you can so you have a nice clean edge.

Next we glued some moss around the bottom to cover the cut off fabric and make it look super pretty.

And that's it.  They were pretty fun to make and not to difficult.  Freedom got to do some hot gluing, which he loved, as well as cut fabric and pick out flowers.  All in all I think they came out pretty nice.  Mrs. Chalk's actually came out a bit better but both teacher's loved them immensely.  I think we succeeded in creating a gift the teachers will not be forgetting any time soon, just like the little boy who made them!

Feel free to leave feedback as this is a fledgling project and I am sure we could make it better, or if you have questions I would be more than happy to answer them for you.

Thanks for checking them out.  Blessings!