05.15.08 | PART ONE: A TREE
This is a tree in our front yard last night, glowing in the late evening light. The bunches of flowers looked as if they were lit up from within. Like those strings of fancy lights you can buy at Target and swag around your deck for parties. Except way better.
And it only lasted a few minutes. By the time I'd taken the photo, walked to the porch and turned around to look back again, the effect was gone. The light had moved on. The plug had been pulled. The party was over.
It sure was pretty while it lasted.
PART TWO: ME
And because the public my friend Mary demands it — here
is my new haircut, in all it's short, sassy glory. Those of you who've
known me for awhile know that my hair hasn't been this short since like
the sixth grade, so this is big for me. It's also “layered” and “styled,” both
of which are relatively new.
Check out the vain (double entendre) attempt on the right, wherein I attempt to minimize the ol' double chin by doing a fish face. It totally didn't work. That is so sad. And kind of funny. Kind of.
05.13.08 | A SPRING OUTING
We went to the park today for a little spring outing. While the girls rode their bikes, Eric and I walked around the track. Check out that green grass, people! Woo-hoo!
A dandelion bouquet — the sweetest gift a mother can receive.
If The Pioneer Woman can
show off her
husband's butt bottom in his chaps, I can show off these calves.
The girls rode the carousel. Eric and I both get sick when we ride, although this one isn't half as fast as the one in Missoula.
Fun with shutter speed.
Baby larch needles in the most precious shade of green.
Our brood.
Heading through a tunnel.
*****
So, if you came here looking for a craft blog, you may have been sorely disappointed recently. I don't know what is up with me. I just don't seem to have much crafty energy. I have a big pile of works in progress, so I promise I'll get moving and post some fun projects soon. Good luck with YOUR crafty endeavors... and your spring outings!
05.11.08 | MOTHER'S DAY
I'm taking a break from my Motto Posts for a bit because, to tell you the truth, I started feeling pressure each day when I had to post on a specific topic! I want my blog to be a place where I can express what I'm feeling in the moment. Not a place where I feel like I'm finishing an school assignment.
So, since I'm thinking about mothers today —
Happy Mother's Day, everyone! A day late. Oh well.
My Mother's Day was peaceful and pleasant. I started the day at church, teaching Sonja's Sunday School class. Later we enjoyed a lovely lunch, prepared by Eric and his dad. And then last night after dinner, after Eric's parents had returned to Billings, our family took a leisurely walk up the trail in our neighborhood.
Here are my three little hikers, in all their adorable glory. I feel like the luckiest mom in the world when I look at these girls.
I also feel lucky to have my mother and mother-in-law in our lives, both of whom are wise, loving and amazing grandmothers to my girls.
Here are Grandma and Ani cuddling on the couch this weekend during Eric's parents' visit.
I hope your Mother's Day was filled with leisurely walks, and pretty flowers, and cuddles on the couch, and all of the people and things that YOU love.
05.10.08 | FIFTH: LOVE
Breathe. Drink. Eat. Sleep. Love. Work. Craft.
These are the things in my life that I'm trying to keep in order. And in balance.
Fifth: Love.
Now this one is easy! Sleeping and eating are fraught with “difficulties” and “issues,” but loving the wonderful people in my life is purely a pleasure.
I debated whether I should put Work before Love, or Love before Work, because you know, feeding the children is ultimately more important that loving them! But right now, in our family, it's Eric's job to put food on the table and keep the roof over our heads. I'll be contributing in that way soon enough, but for now “cuddling” and “applying Band-aids” are at the top of my daily duties list.
In addition to my sweet husband and beautiful daughters, I have a wonderful extended family and truly precious friends with whom to share life's journey. I have so much love in my life. Tons of love coming in, and piles of love going out.
In the midst of a very busy life, though, it seems like there's never enough time for it all. And, it's easy to forget how important it is to replenish my own coffers. But there has to be time for it all. Time to breathe. Time to nourish. Time to rest.
And then — time to love, love, love and love some more.
05.09.08 | FOURTH: SLEEP
Breathe. Drink. Eat. Sleep. Love. Work. Craft.
These are the things in my life that I'm trying to keep in order. And in balance.
Fourth: Sleep.
I love to sleep. I really do. But deep sleep often eludes me. I haven't exactly figured out why yet, but more days than not I wake up feeling like I didn't even rest. With droopy eyes and an aching body I often stumble through my day, longing for the energy to enjoy the people around me and the tasks before me.
I will continue to seek deep sleep, because after breath and nourishment, it is my most immediate need. When I'm well-rested, I can Love, Work and Craft so much better. And that's the really fun stuff.
05.08.08 | THIRD: EAT
Breathe. Drink. Eat. Sleep. Love. Work. Craft.
These are the things in my life that I'm trying to keep in order. And in balance.
Third: Eat.
I'll be honest with you. I've written and re-written this post about ten times. I suppose my difficulty in writing about food reveals my complex relationship with food.
Food: My distraction. My enemy. My nemesis.
Food: My comfort. My friend. My life source.
How well I eat — the right things in the right proportions for the right reasons — determines how well I can do everything else.
Apparently food and I haven't worked out all our issues yet. But we'll keep trying. We must. You can't quit food cold turkey. So to speak.
05.07.08 | SECOND: DRINK
Breathe. Drink. Eat. Sleep. Love. Work. Craft.
These are the things in my life that I'm trying to keep in order. And in balance.
Second: Drink.
No, I'm not talking about that kind of drinking you crazy party animals. And I'm not even talking about coffee, that sweet nectar that I often think sustains my life. Nope, this is all about water friends. After breath, water is my second-most immediate need. Why is it so easy to forget to drink?
Lack of water brings on fatigue, grumpiness and false hunger. It causes my head to ache and my brain to slow.
Over the past few days, I've watched the gentle spring rains coax the green out of our grass, and cause the daffodil bulbs to burst forth and flower. Surely, water is no less a powerful agent upon me.
Drink, drink, drink, Molly. Don't forget to drink.
05.06.08 | FIRST: BREATHE
Breathe. Drink. Eat. Sleep. Love. Work. Craft.
These are the things in my life that I'm trying to keep in order. And in balance.
First: Breathe.
Without breath I would die in a matter of minutes. It is my first and immediate need.
Without deep breathing, I feel anxious and tired. My chest tightens and my stomach turns. I often find myself holding my breath when I'm working. When I'm thinking. When I'm driving. When I'm blogging.
So now, I take a moment to step outside my back door. To breathe in the smell of the rain that is gently falling on the spring grass.
In. Out. In. Out. At least ten times. Slowly. Deliberately. The heart rate slows. Tension is released. A series of good, deep breaths recharges, refreshes and re-sets me. Helps me feel prepared for the challenges I face. Like laundry. And dishes. And five-year-old twins.
Prayer and meditation are both part of my time spent breathing. Through deep breaths I commune with the One who created me and sustains me. I meditate on the good things in my life, and I offer up endless prayers of gratitude for life and love and beauty and even pain.
In. Out. In. Out. In. Out. Keep breathing.
05.05.08 | MAY FLOWERS AT LAST
{a daffodil in our garden}
{a cosmo on our windowsill}
Oh Spring! Have you finally arrived? I've been waiting for you. Don't let anyone tell you that I was impatient. I knew you'd be coming sooner or later.
I sort of expected you in March, and by April I was a little worried. I'll admit it. It really seemed as though you might never come. But I didn't give up hope. Through the blustery snowstorms and the freezing temperatures and the punishing winds, I believed. Really I did.
I'm sure that soon enough I'll be wishing it would cool down a little already. I'll long for the crispness of Fall and the whiteness of Winter. But right now, I'll I want is you Spring, and your warmth, and your blossoms, and your freshness, and your fragrance.
So I accept your flowers Spring, as your apology for taking so very long to arrive. I forgive you.
05.04.08 | OUR WEEKEND, SET TO MUSIC
This is the tower of the Helena Civic Center, where our concerts were held this weekend. As Craig Ferguson would say, “Remiiiiind you of anything?” Men and their architecture — you gotta love it.
Anyway, the Carmina Burana concerts were so much fun. The bad part — and this was very bad — was that I had to miss Sonja's violin recital because it overlapped with one of my performances! Oh sad day.
Here she is, performing at the recital. Even though I wasn't there, I know she played beautifully.
***
For those of you visiting for the first time from allsorts — welcome! I'm so glad you're here.
05.03.08 | ORDER OF OPERATIONS
I'm tired today for so many reasons. The first is probably the string of rehearsals I've had this week for the performance of Carmina Burana tonight. Don't let anyone tell you that singing isn't hard work. This piece is so challenging in so many ways. It's going to be a fun, exhausting weekend.
The second reason I'm tired is because I don't sleep. Well okay, I sleep, but not deeply. It's been a problem for me since my college days, and having lots o' kids didn't exactly make it better. I don't get what is called “restorative sleep,” so over time my joints and muscles begin to ache and I get just a tidge grumpy, or so I'm told.
So I'm trying a sleep aid. It gives me the dry mouth and makes me feel a little funny, but this morning when I woke up I had pillow creases in my face and my eyes were puffy. This may sound normal to you, but for me it's odd. Eric and I agreed that I looked like I'd actually been “sleeping,” whereas I usually just look like a zombie who laid down for awhile at nighttime.
***
As May begins I have a couple of goals for my blog. First, I'm going to join in at allsorts on the “A Post a Day in May” project, even though technically, I've already failed by not posting yesterday. Oh well, Jenny said it was okay.
I'm also going to start a series on what has become my motto. Or my order of operations. Or my hierarchy of needs. Or my “first things first.”
Breathe. Drink. Eat. Sleep. Love. Work. Craft.
My goal lately is to keep these things in order. And to keep these things in balance. Of course there is more to my life, but I feel most things are contained in these activities. Prayer is part of breathing. Exercise is part of working. Writing is part of craft.
I'll expand on each of them in posts to come. For now I'm off to actually “curl my hair” and “apply makeup”. And then to sing my heart out. O Fortuna!
05.01.08 | QUINTESSENTIAL HELENA
Last Friday, we went downtown for a Spring Art Walk...
...that included a sculpture by one of our favorite artists.
While there, I took some photos of Helena, our beautiful capital city. At top — St. Helena Cathedral.
The fire tower built in 1876 to protect Helena from devastation by fire.
The trolley, ferrying folks up and down the Walking Mall.
The women's mural, honoring the women who shaped Montana's history.
And a tree, heavy with catkins. A sure sign of spring.
