Ponds and Peonies

I count it a very successful day if we come home from our morning walk and we're so dirty from our adventures that we all need to pile into the tub.  I dressed the babes in chocolate brown linen yesterday, grabbed my camera, and took on the ridiculous Philly humidity.  We headed to the local dog park, Pastorius.  William saw his first frog--followed the little fellow all the way to the pond--while Madeleine discovered stairs, clovers, and the taste of mud (Mama wasn't quick enough).  Dirty toes, wet bottoms, curly hair!  We had so much fun. 

Also, the peonies are popping out in frothy pink and white blossoms.  They are so majestic!

PS If you can help me out, I can't figure out what kind of flower was planted in those lovely chartreuse pots, at the top of the post!  Little, happy, button-like flowers!

Goodies

So, I did a little more than drool over the material, tea, and books in New York this weekend.  I might have snagged a few goodies.  Felt and material from Purl in SOHO.  An utterly elegant magazine from McNally's Bookstore.  And tea!  Belloque tea.  The really good stuff.  This is a white Earl Grey.  So exciting.

Other goodies--M is pulling herself up on everything.  Sometimes standing up in the middle of the room for no reason.  Just because she can.  And, we've finally reached the point that brother and sister can play side-by-side without danger to either!  Oh the messes they make!

P.S. A month ago I was interviewed for the Chestnut Hill Local Newspaper.  Last week my article came out!  Beyond thrilled!

Magic

Let me just say--right from the start of this post--that I've always been a believer of snail mail.  Penpals.  Postcards.  Rambling epistles.  Something magical happens when you write out your thoughts, or in my case, the nonsense of life, onto paper, put postage on the envelope and send it out!  A little piece of you goes out into the world and is embraced and cherished by the recipient.  So, it's even more magical when you start writing someone thousands of miles away, because you get a kick out of their blog, or strike up a conversation through Etsy, and then finally, after years and years, get to meet them!  In person!  I was able to meet Cindy (of Town & Country) a year and a half ago.  We toured NYC in December and soaked up the bliss of conversing in person.  Then, just this weekend, I got to meet Krissy (from Paper Schmaper).  Cindy, Krissy and I met up in NYC for a day of site-seeing and fabulous conversation.  I loved every minute of it!  We explored Central Park--on the hunt for the Bow Bridge--and stumbled about a number of gems.  We ate at Gray's Papaya for lunch.  Grabbed a subway down to SOHO and Nolita, where I spent way too much money.  Drooled over paper, material and yarn, tea, chocolate, and books.  It was wonderful.  The day felt a bit of a blur.  But, in a good way.  My mind is full of images from the day.  So much color and goodness!  It was magic!

Nosce te ipsum

Know thyself.  I am the culmination of 33 years of questions, experiences, hardships, and adventures.  And, I'm confident that I will forever be on a journey of discovering what "know thyself" means to me.  Right now, it means valuing the parts of me that are both light and dark.  I am not perfect--my inadequacies are plentiful and so apparent to me.  But, those dark parts?  They illuminate what I love and what nourishes me and what I'm capable of bringing to the world.  I know that my children are some of the most precious things to me.  And the ability to look around me and enjoy everything from the tiny blue flowers my friend Janine loves, to the yogurt smeared faces of my babies, is a gift.  Experience has taught me to hold things lightly, but with keen gratefulness and wonder.

I'm a work in progress.  Thank God!