Only Words

Rendered deciduous

Leaves of once-confidence 

Slip suddenly off their stems.

Then thin, new growth

Now thickened by life,

Fed by fruit -

Until outward progress

Firmed and fattened these

Trunk and branches

(Staid by girth

And rooted in the sameness

Of place): soil that surrounds

Awaiting the first drop...

Tender snap to en-lightened fall.

Crispness of age and final days take

A surprising last dance,

Thrilling sky waltz,

Before the sleep that softens

Unfurls and decomposes

One symphony

After another.

In the Misty Morning

The Goosethwaite Family

Down at the lake today...

Mother Goose avec her goslings and Father Goose guarding them. At one point Father Goose assumed a right menacing position and charged some passersby geese who were getting a bit too close for comfort.

Honk honk honkeroo!

The Unfurl - Secret Hipster Poem

It happens little by little...

We all have leaves

That shoot up full of life

From dark places.

Often they arise from pain;

Oftener still, they grow and collect

Any drop of sunshine's joy

And any coolness of the rain.

In so serving to feed us -

Nourish and be-deck us.

Wreathes of 

Garlands of

SWAG.

It's a Pink World

You better get to livin', givin'

A little more thought about bein'

A little more willin' to make a better way

Don't sweat the small stuff

Keep your chin up

Just hang tough

And if you think it gets too rough

Fall on your knees and pray

And do that every day

Then you'll get to livin'.

Chorus from "Better Get to Livin'" by Dolly Parton

Friday Finds

Parenting:

Sleep and Other Behavior Problems Linked to Food Additives

I've been thinking of cleaning up my food intake a bit (not that I do terribly as is).  This article is food for thought, but it's also just a no-brainer that we should be eating "real" food, or "clean" food as people are apt to call it these days.

Dressing:

Have you heard...Cropped Cardigans are BACK!  I love me some cropped cardigans.  And of course, I love me 

some Rory Gilmore as well.  And Kate Spade.  And books.  And coffee.   Oh well, you get the idea.

Eating:

Creamed Brussels Sprouts - I cannot deny, this recipe has been calling to me all week.  

I will be making it this weekend for sure!

Laughing:

Loving:

Sometimes, just looking at beautiful wedding photos is enough to kindle up a little love spark in your heart. 

Southern Weddings has been my favorite Wedding magazine for this purpose since its first issue.

Take a look!

Reading:

Homemaking:

I will be buying the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser this weekend to clean the scuffs off the base boards.  

Vacuuming with passion is only good to a certain degree.

Inspiring:

Would you give it back?  These kinds of stories make me so happy!


Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

xoxo

5 Months!

Instead of Blogging

 

Instead of blogging, I've been spending my time raising a child.

 

Who knew it would be this fun?!?

 

 

She even helped me take these photos of the gorgeous flowers in bloom around our house.

 

What a sweet little girl!

Coastline

We are visiting family in SoCal and so, because I love photographs, I figured it would be fun to post some pix. Silly me forgot to pack the big, nice DSLR so these are all grainy iPhone snaps. Sorry!

You are Four Months Old

My dearest girl,

You are now four months old, with eyes that shine, sparkle, and dart about; gleaning from, and gleaming for, all that is new and thrilling.

GUSTO! You have it in spades! Dad and Mama have to trick you into sleeping because all you want to do is play and explore. You are only calm in the face of chaos and crowds.

You greet each morning with dimpled smiles and giggles, shrieks of delight, and bounding happiness. As your energy wanes and you fight sleep, your patience, likewise wanes.

You love people and don't mind being passed around from strange face to strange face. After all, newness is always exciting for you, isn't it? Many people have commented that you are going to be a party girl. I like to think instead, that you will excel at fellowship and reaching out to lift people up.

All these hopes at only four months old!

~Milestones~
*Rolling over back to front
*Sitting up with the help of an adult finger
*Push-ups
*Laughing at Mama when she gets hurt (she thinks my loud exclamation if pain is amusing)
*Babble talking to mirrors and TV shows as well as yourself
*Testing putting weight on your legs when someone holds you up by your arms

~Favorite Playtime Activities~
*Airplane (on mama's shins...aka ab exercises for mom)
*Tummy time in front of a mirror
*Dancing with mama
*Playing with a soft, crinkly square with tags.
*Playing with hanging toys on a play mat
*Being held upside down

I love you my baby girl! You have brought so much joy to your mama and dad's lives and we can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

xoxo

Fabulous Friday Finds

 

Parenting: This wonderful list of ideas for better parenting: 50 Parenting Ideas You Won't Regret

Dressing: I just love this top - and it's such a deal!

 

Eating: Even Numbers Man would enjoy this meal.

 

Laughing:

 

Loving: Just We -  Read it Here.

Reading: This is powerful stuff on the cheap ($2 download). God desires for us to use The Word in every aspect of our lives; there is great power in His Word.

 

Homemaking: I must admit, I've been hand washing our dishes for the past few years and it is something I took a strange sense of pride in. Wellll, as a new mon, it turns out I have more pressing, nay BETTER ways to use that time so I decided to give our neglected dish washer (the electronic contraption, not yours truly) an overhaul  I highly recommend it even though Numbers Man complained about the vinegar smell for a couple hours afterwards.

 

Inspiring: Sometimes it is easier to see God's handiwork up close. the oft' maligned carnation gets downright gorgeous.

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window... A constant, heavy drizzle is making murky puddles on the ground.

I am thinking... About ways I can improve my professional communications when I am low on time and high on projects.

I am thankful... For God's grace! It is prideful to worry and carry our cares instead of casting our cares on The Lord and that is SO freeing!!!

In the kitchen... Veggie Soup with Rice and mashed Sweet Potatoes with Brown Sugar.

I am wearing... Grey Gilly Hicks 3/4 length sleeve henley and dark rinse Kut from the Kloth jeans.

I am creating... Trash. Seriously folks, that's about it. Between mothering a 3.5 month old and working from home with said 3.5 month old, my creative output is next to nill.

I am going... to the mailbox. Testify!

I am wondering... If God will make me more effective, more loving, and more...warm. I feel like I'm not as expressing of my love and appreciation of folks as I could be. Lots of prayers in that area.

I am reading... A Love that Multiplies. And James.

I am hoping... For so many things! Big things!

I am learning... What it means to live beyond worry. I never worried about "big" things like accidents and calamities, but I worried about making people happy, making everyone content. That's not my job and quite frankly it's too big a job for anyone, but God. I can do my best, with His help, and live lovingly, with patience and kindness.

Around the house... Clean the main bathroom sink and mirror. Big time!

I am pondering... Why baby fat is so cute and adult fat is not. Bogus! Oh, and the Papacy.

A favorite quote for today... "Rednecked Minotaur"? - Phil Robertson (Duck Dynasty)

One of my favorite things... Nordstrom's Honey Almond Latte. Scrumptious!

A few plans: Respond to all emails. Make Baby Girl a song. Cuddle Goose. Hug Numbers Man.

Photo of my day:

A Reflection

In between bleary eyed,
minute moments, a mother
takes a breath...
Followed by another,
But she cannot tell
inhale from exhale
Or even blink from flutter.
But when she looks into the
mellow grey orbs
That circle back to her face
To watch for affirmation
And to match breath for breath
She remembers to steady
And savor
Her reflection.

Acknowledge Him

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Honor the LORD from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine."

Proverbs 3:5-10

What 3 Months of Motherhood have Taught Me

Becoming a mother has taught me a great deal...

Especially about myself.

Some things I am pleased / relieved to discover.

And others...?

Not so much. :(

I am:
Impatient
Excitable
Quick to anger
Quick to forgive
Too reliant on easy fixes
Addicted to my reading time
Good at sleeping (any time, any place)
Not a naturally scheduled person
Not good at keeping my tongue
Proficient at entertaining a baby
A sympathetic crier
Not content to sit still for hours
A fiend for kisses
A natural educator
Judgmental
A shopper when bored
More selfish than I thought
An emotional eater

I find that managing my own expectations for the day (of myself and others) is key. Pre-mommyhood, I knew if I wanted something bad enough I could work to make it happen. Being a mommy has put me in my place! :)

Mamas out there, can you relate to any of this?

A Stronghold

You've got a stronghold on my heart little one.

In Honor...

To recognize our Nation's holiday today, President's Day, a pictorial tribute to my favorite Presidential couple follows...
Presenting George & Laura Bush. I just think they are SOO sweet!

Pasty & Pragmatic

When I was a little girl, I used to think shells like this were magical and that if you wished on the shimmery reflections of the sunlight on the water (glints) your wish would come true. I read so in a book and took it to heart. Seal Child was the name of the book...I'm sure you could find it on Amazon if you're so inclined.

I also used to hold my ankles together with diving rings to force me to swim like a mermaid under water. Lacking gills, I could never remain submerged as long as I hoped, but enjoyed the fantasy nonetheless.

Back when I was brown as a blueberry (something my mom would say that I still can't make heads or tails of) and full of imagination. Now, I'm pasty and pragmatic.

How do you know...

...when you're a new mom?

Albums like this are getting more play on your iPhone than actual music. ;)

From "The Wonder that is Woman"

"Because if we are only what we are, we are most decidedly not divine. As beings unto ourselves, we are finite and self-absorbed things, manufacturers rather than creators. To create, we must rise above our individuality. To actualize our divine essence, we must transcend the bounds of self."

By Yanki Tauber

Still & Bare

"When the earth is still and bare, the somber gray-brown bark of the hickory tree trunk can be quite magical. The deep forest-green ivy that cascades over the aged brick wall beside my kitchen door becomes the rarest of gifts.
...
In my wintertime garden no butterflies flutter, no honeybees hum, there are no whimsical Johnny-jump-up faces or graceful summer dahlias. Yet I know each is safely hidden away in its own secret bed, where winter's silence holds the promise of spring's exuberance."

~Emily Jenkins for Victoia Magazine January 1993

Another Three Weeks

It looks like Baby Girl will be in her brace for another 3 weeks, but her hips show GREAT improvement so that will do the trick. Another 3 weeks will be challenging for us, but we are SO BLESSED her progress was as good as it turned out.
Praise God!

Wordless Wednesday

Of Peas and Peace

I'm genuinely contented and happy to be a mom. I enjoy my soft and squishy little blessing even when she's crying, which is a lot, because quite frankly she's been dealt a challenging hand so far. With skin irritations, potential allergies, and Hip Dysplasia, she is learning a lot about life here on earth with its hurdles to overcome. I know she can't make heads or tails of why she must be forced to be slathered in ointment and wear a restrictive contraption, so I hope she can feel my love for her with every kiss, cuddle, song, feeding, Eskimo kiss, back rub, and even our naps together. I pray she knows I am always here for her and never worries that I might leave her (however instinctual that fear is).

These past 7 weeks have been a learning experience/marathon for me as well. I am restricting my diet, something that is much more challenging for me than a sleepless night, and eating only the basics until we determine what was causing the extreme rash she had a few weeks back. My snacking sources are scarce and mostly consist of vegan, gluten-free bread with something on it (bananas, avocado, vegan buttery spread, honey...). One of my favorite snacks, though a little pricey, are freeze dried fruits and veggies. I can go through a bag in one sitting. Yum, yum delish!

These Minutes are Milestones

Every pursed lip,

Nod of head - 

Bobble and Reach:

Prepare a path

And part the proverbial

SEAs

For onward steps

Across the divine divide

And show us mountains

on the other side.

Love and Demand

"Demand nursing, as I saw it, was no different from caring for a family member who has been rendered powerless. Would we refuse an incapacitated father a meal because it was "not time"? Or leave a paralyzed spouse alone in a room to "cry it out"--checking in every 10 minutes to say, "It's Ok"--without trying to find out what is wrong and doing something about it? If he or she only wanted to be held, would we refuse, for fear of spoiling someone we love?"

From:
So I Nursed Him Every 45 Minutes
By Elizabeth N. Baldwin, Esq.