summer mish-mash

I know, you haven't heard from me in awhile. I have lots of excuses. Included in those excuses would be the words "crazy" and "freight train." A friend of ours was giving announcements at church and while welcoming everyone said something to the effect of, "Remember when all of those summer things looked like a great idea a month ago? And now it's more like, 'what were we thinking?!'" Yeah. I get that.

starting the morning right...coffee in fresh mountain air tastes better than about anything...

While I'm at it, why do house projects seem like a good idea in the summer? Some people like the process of projects. I don't. I like planning them and I like when they are finished. The rest is Purgatory and I have lines from this book running through my head.

Also, this week we said goodbye to dear friends and sent them with our love and prayers to Tokyo. It was rough. My so very sweet son wanted to cheer me up so he took me to a movie and said he would pay for the movie and whatever snacks I wanted. LOVE HIM. We saw Inside Out. SO good. I was pretty much crying the whole time (I may be a little on edge). I'm not talking silent, peaceful cry. I'm talking silent, super ugly cry. The kind that almost hurts to keep in and the kind where you're glad you are in the very back of the movie theater sitting in the dark. Cece said, "I knew you were crying." Anyway, a great family flick. My husband loved it too. He was cracking up and there is nothing I love so much as to hear him laugh.

What else? We swim, we walk, we read, we don't cook, lots of normal stuff and the days fly. Can it be near August already? We have frolicked in our mountains, kayaked, fished, hiked, ATVed. We took an impromptu detour to the Sand Dunes--spontaneity feeds the soul sometimes. This summer has walked briskly when I've wanted to stroll. We've hit hard and good, stressful and joyful. We'll take it all from the hand of God.

Am I in Africa? Not going to lie, I wished for a camel on several occasions.

Last week, I bought this book simply because it was pretty. Don't judge. I may have a new addiction to Penguin Threads. A copy in hand is even prettier than this picture can portray.

I was craving some teenage angst and grabbed The Stepsister's Tale by Tracy Barrett and Little Blog on the Prairie by Cathleen Davitt Bell. I really liked The Stepsister's Tale (Don't let the cover art discourage you, I felt it to be an inaccurate representation). I don't tire of fairy tale re-tellings, but they are not all created equal by any means. I thought this version to be unique and lovely. The story felt akin to the movie Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister which I enjoy (present tense) greatly. The movie is based on the book by Gregory Macguire which I have not read. I'll read Little Blog on the Prairie next.

free range kids...I saw visions of the Canadian frontier as they ran

The kids and I (D included) devoured When Calls the Heart (season 1). Set in the Canadian frontier, it doesn't much resemble the Janette Oke books that inspired the series, but can call itself a kindred spirit to Christy and Little House on the Prairie. We'll be watching season two shortly (FYI season one is on Netflix.) The kids haven't watched many television series and when D watched the first show and it ended in a "cliffhanger" (new vocabulary word) as shows are wont to do, he was offended. It went something like, "What!?!?" along with another exclamation about how "they" could do such a thing. I was laughing.

Ahhh, unfiltered sunset (from a moving car no less!)

I know all this is random. My brain is a little bit scrambled. Mish-mash, but an ordained mish-mash. Summer has not been what I have thought, but has held great beauty also. I pray that you all take each mish-mash day from God's hand, whatever it brings.

a snapshot...just a real day

Today I slept until almost 9. Call me a sloth. The girls were tired and didn't wake. My son woke early as usual, but quietly went about his business building gadgets and gizmos, probably a time machine or some other creation of mechanical genius.

I padded downstairs and started to wrap my brain around my day while the kids made breakfast and Belle turned on PBS in Spanish. The living room was cluttered with school papers and new curriculum from the fair I attended last weekend. I hadn't bothered to clean the kitchen the night before, opting for cups of ginger peach coconut rooibus tea while I binge-watched JAG epidodes. My husband was at church band practice with my son and I couldn't quite muster up the motivation that I wanted. Maybe I didn't really want it...not sure. Anyway, the morning starts anew no matter my house state.

I didn't quite feel I had the energy to made a French press of coffee, but I also needed  my coffee, yes I did, don't judge. I think I need the ritual of preparing and sipping coffee as much as the dark brew itself. Grinding the beans, boiling water, steaming milk, plunking in sugar cubes, drizzling syrup, dusting cocoa powder. It slows my already overwhelmed and anxious mind. Sip, breathe, collect, repeat.

D headed to his room to plug away on his school. Cece headed upstairs to listen to her audio textbooks and work on her assignments. Belle continued to watch PBS and eat her breakfast, snuggling with her blanket, adorned in her Elsa nightgown which she rarely takes off. I took a shower and then headed back down to make my coffee. Let the ritual commence, and the day.

The morning disappeared, lunch came and went, school progressed, but not as much as anticipated. My choice--let's go see a movie. It's my birthday week, I wanted to see a movie, so we went. I loved Cinderella as much as I hoped--courage, kindness, forgiveness, so many themes and topics and truths bounced around my brain.

I had my girls on either side of me. Cece sits quietly, takes it in, smiles and comments sparingly. Belle interacts with the movie in loud whispers and mild sound affects while snacking constantly. During the end credits she decides to do ballet along the railing and then do leaps through the seats. She moves to the music no matter her location.

Several times, Cece leaned over, looked at me and asked, "Are you crying?" Of course I was, she knows. It was a rhetorical question. I always cry and it seems to be getting worse.

Midway through, Belle snuggles up to my arm, resting her head on my shoulder, still commenting occasionally and laughing a little too loud. When it comes time [spoiler alert] for the Prince to place the slipper on Ella's foot she declares, "I know what's gonna happen!" in her loud whisper, but still she has the trace of doubt, would it really turn out how it was supposed to? She starts rooting for the slipper, "Come on! Fit...fit! Fit!" in her continual loud whisper followed by statements of "I think I'm going to cry!" Real tears leak from her animated chocolate brown eyes.

D liked it too, but may have been more entertained (or annoyed) by his mom and two sisters. I heard him laughing, he can't fool me.

So, this snapshot day ended with taco salad, driving Cece to ballet and working out for me. My husband cleaned the kitchen while I was out, the piles of papers still sit and once the kids are settled, I'm looking forward to talking with my hubby...and maybe watching an episode of JAG while sipping hot tea.

Not a perfect day, but a good one, mostly. I'll take it with a heaping sweet spoonful of thankfulness and grace.

(Why random sunflower pictures? Because I love them. These were my birthday flowers from last year. Perfect.)