Bits from the shore

Last weekend we went "down the shore"--which is a Philly way of saying we went to see the ocean via the boardwalk. It's fun, festive, and a little too much. I loved it! The shells were mostly in bits by the time they reached the beach, but I found a small handful of small, smooth white stones on one of our morning strolls. They sounded quite nice jingling in my pocket on the walk home. They've found a home in one of Cindy's beautiful china dishes on my very messy work desk!

Processing

Sometimes I catch myself wondering how I should phrase my Facebook status for the day. I eat something delicious or William does something funny and I try and word smith the status in my head even before I get to the keyboard. Or, I start pondering my blog post as I'm on my morning walk. It's satisfying. And strange at the same time. Four years ago I didn't have a Facebook page. I didn't have a blog. I didn't have an internet presence. And I was fine with that. I knew that when I started this blog post that I didn't want to express a strong opinion one way or the other on the subject of our internet footprint. I did, however, want to talk about the weird way we're learning how to process information and articulate our life happenings on the web. I used to journal frequently--scribbling my thoughts down in books of all shapes and sizes. And I still do to a degree, but there's a certain amount of transparency that I enjoy when I actually hit the "publish post" button and realize that my thoughts have been crystallized thanks to my blog space. Or when I bake something yummy I feel like I'm wafting the chocolaty deliciousness out my door an into your home. I'm sharing. In a way. We process things differently. I have a sister who needs to talk--needs to get her quota of words out per day. That's how she finds connection. I also have a friend who processes quietly, meekly, by herself and shares specific information with a select few trusted souls. We each have our way of making sense of our days and the world around us. I've been surprised at how my needs have changed over the year with William but also as I've grown more attached to things like texting, Facebook, and longer, rambling posts here on my blog (although infrequent). Being a stay-at-home mom has definitely changed the way I view my need to connect--I crave it like none other. I need to be seen and I need people to hear me--even if that means sitting in a playground chatting with a stranger about the benefits of sippy cups. I also have noticed that I need different ways of processing--mostly due to the lack of personal time. I don't have the time or space to sit down and write for hours in my journal. I have laundry to do, orders to fill, supper to cook and places to be. I feel like it takes me a little longer to discover new parts of myself or to actualize lessons I'm learning this way. Is it because our thoughts are fragmented to the basic of basic text messages? Or the brief statuses we write on our walls? I wonder... I really have no idea. It's just interesting! So, no real conclusions in the end... just a bit rambly.

Sending love,
Jewels

PS The hydrangeas are in full bloom here--lots and lots of blue!

Things I like

I'm lost under piles of beautiful paper right now--trying to keep my head above water. I'm a bit overwhelmed, frankly. But, it's the feeling of being overwhelmed by the busyness of things you like. It's good. And I think you'll agree that it's much better than being overwhelmed by the drudgery of things you don't.

To help keep perspective here is a picture of the boys on Memorial Day. William actually kept his bucket hat on for me. How very thoughtful of him!

Olive Loaf

My sister gave me a bread book for my birthday and the first I tried was the olive loaf! There were three risings and a bunch of beautiful kalamata olives and sprigs of rosemary. William seemed to enjoy it, too! I slathered my slice with herb and garlic goat cheese!

Creative Space

Although a little dark--I took photos of my new creative space over the weekend. I scoured the internet for different storage/desk units for a few weeks. I had two things I desperately needed: 1) horizontal surface--lots of it and 2) open storage so I could have ready access to my tools. My tools that are now up off the floor and out of reach of little grabby hands, mind you. Although I would have loved this (in sage green) I ended up getting the IKEA desk and shelving unit in dark walnut. It's fun having one location for all my Red Otter stuff--I'm sure I appeared horribly unorganized with paper shoved under furniture, tools on night tables, and glue tubs stuck into our shelves like book ends. Yes, that was how I was living for nearly a year! I have a long way to go as far as organizing it all and I still think I'll need to find more shelves or drawers or something like that, but it's a start.

Relaxation

Either I'm suffering from a lack of creative coherency or I'm trying too hard--either way this post is taking forever for me to write. It's not like I don't know what I want to say. I do. Put it simply: relaxation is hard to do. You wouldn't think so. But, for a person who is driven by efficiency and productivity, it is. Very. I'm learning to take 15 minutes during my day to sit peacefully with a cup of tea. I'm relearning how to take belly breaths. I'm trying my hand at incorporating quiet moments into my life again. Who knew that this part of my life would take work?