How a sprinkler changed my day.

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pure JOY.

Yesterday.  The little one was restless all night, probably trying to walk and talk in her sleep.  I awoke still feeling exhausted and knew we would face another scorching 107 degree day with no end in sight.  You know how some people hibernate in the winter?  Here, sadly, we hibernate in the summer.  It's too hot to take our beloved daily walks, and even car rides are risky when the car thermometer reads 111 degrees and you have a baby facing away from the air flow in her car seat.  Nonetheless, we were desperate to get out of the house, so I loaded up the stroller, gave my daughter an ice cube to suck on and strapped her in her seat and headed for Northpark Mall.  At least the mall contains lots of visual stimulation, is free, and has endless amounts of air conditioning.  I ate a chicken salad wrap at the food court while Luci Belle threw all her food on the ground, and then I pushed the stroller around the mall circuit a few times zombie-like.

After an-hour-and-a-half, we returned home, and it was still early afternoon.  What on earth were we going to do for the rest of the day?  Watch Ratatouille again?  Or perhaps we should read Olivia for the hundredth time?

That's when my genius husband asked if I would like him to bring the sprinkler to the back yard so we could play in it? 

Yes, please!

Minutes later in the brown, crisp back yard, I had on a swim suit and put Luci Belle in a swim diaper and tank top.  She cried a little at the first sting of the water and then laughed.  And laughed and laughed and laughed...

I held her as we ran through it horizontally.  We pointed together up in the sky at the water's peak.  We stood in front of it and let it spray the backs of our heads down to our ankles.  We watched little beads of water form on our thirsty plants and trees.

10 minutes later, we were thoroughly cooled and soaking wet, and...energized!  We returned inside, hair matted, dripping water on the kitchen floor, my feet squeaking and sloshing in the puddles that had accumulated inside my red Mary Jane Crocs.  And we were both absolutely beaming.

Ahh, a fresh start to the day, and all it took was a little water.  God knows it doesn't take much to turn a sour day into a beautiful one. 

Sunday's harvest.

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"Food, a French man told me once, is the first wealth.  Grow it right, and you feel insanely rich, no matter what you own."
~ Kristin Kimball, The Dirty Life

This is what we harvested from our garden yesterday...

Loads of herbs: mint, green and purple basil, oregano, sage.

Fistfuls of red onions.

One red cherry tomato and tiny golden heirloom pear tomatoes.

Sweet potato vine that we sprouted by sticking a sweet potato in the ground and watering it.

Wildflowers: cosmos and a poppy with 2 petals.

And this is just the beginning...there are enough tomatoes in our backyard to feed our entire street, all green and firm on the vines that have taken over the entire back quarter of our yard.  But that's okay, because while we're just scratching the surface of the harvest our little backyard can provide, I'm reading The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball and am absolutely head-over-heels in love with this memoir about a city girl who marries a farmer and adopts "the dirty life" on a farm in upstate New York.  It's enthralling writing.  Steven and I keep fighting over who gets possession of the Kindle for the evening.  Then we go back and forth reading and looking up and saying to each other, "This book is so us!" 

Perhaps there is a real farm in our future...

Random tip: Did you know you can brush your teeth with a sage leaf?  Seriously.  Just rub the leaf all over your teeth and you'll see the grimy residue on the leaf and your teeth will be squeaky clean!  Just a little tip for you from my people, the Italians!

First strawberry of the season...

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A happy announcement today - our garden has been revitalized!  Last year it suffered some neglect, what with me waddling around pregnant and the hubby being preoccupied with our small business and all.  But we're back, baby!

Here's the very first strawberry of the season - YUM!  I'll be sharing more photos as things develop...

Happy things today.

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  • Hot cups of Enfusia with coconut milk and stevia.  Sweet nectar of life.
  • A bright coral dress.
  • Getting closets organized - putting everything in its place.
  • Homemade thank-you notes.
  • All this spring beauty in my very own backyard...

baby wildflowers

coneflower starting to bloom

favorite spot

bramble of blackberries

ready to be picked

wild snowdrop

h a p p y   d a y  t o   y o u!

My roses.

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For the last few years for Valentine's Day, my thoughtful husband has gotten me something that lasts much longer than a bouquet - an entire climbing rose plant that will provide beauty in our garden year after year.  I look forward to the moment each spring when my roses begin to sprout their buds and bloom.  I love to check out the progress each morning.  This year, they are spectacular...the pruning and trellising that my mom and I labored over a few weeks ago has paid off!

 

Happy daffodils.

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Today was a crazy Friday...at times, my cell phone, IM, work phone and email were all dinging at the same time, and the dogs were out of control.  To add to the chaos, I wore a shirt today that is apparently not a maternity top but a nursing top and, I'll spare you the details, but let's just say I accidentally discovered today why they call it a nursing top.  WUNDERFUL.

But early this afternoon, my day became a whole lot better when I spotted a small patch of daffodils growing wildly along the side of our house - happy, bright yellow, delicately perfect...so unlike my day.

I snipped some off and made a bouquet and placed them in a pretty olive oil jar I'd saved...

And they found a spot on my desk amidst the chaos...

What a welcome sight - just a short whiff of their sweet scent grounded me more than a few times.

I'm thankful for little gifts like this that are all around us...if we just know where to find them.  I hope I never stop looking.