this week

this week has been full of birthdays (ellie's and mine; jon's was last week) and a visit from my mom and more organizing (to continue to create a house that looks like i feel on the inside) and planning (in august the garage is becoming my studio!) and a few adventures and a first trip to the dentist and a few other things.

i am working on the first post for the Inner Excavate-along that starts Monday (i hope you will join us!) and i might have spent part of this evening decorating my journal cover with a lot of gorgeous washi tape (because...well...why not?). and now, i'm finally editing some of the photos taken this week.

i took a lot of photos during ellie's birthday last sunday. we spread out opening presents throughout the day (and a few spread out throughout the week) to avoid too much overwhelm. it was a good plan for her. right before we had cake, she opened her tea set.

on a whim, i decided to get this one that i had been eyeing for a long time. and she loves it and has played with it everyday since. it has also helped her to sit at the table more, which is awesome for all of us (especially since the table is actually staying "cleanish" right now so meals are being eaten by all of us there).

this photo of her getting ready to reach for the sugar bowl as she's just realized it has a lid simply delights me.

you might also notice that she really loves bows. and she wants to wear a lot of them at once. when she gets up in the morning, the first thing she usually wants is her sparkle shoes followed by her bow(s). though now she is loving to switch between the sparkles and her new lizard converse, which look especially fantastic with her party dress, which must go on her body right away whenever she spots it even if that means over pajamas. 

gosh i adore this kid and the way she moves through and sees the world.

and i guess i just feel really moved to say this in case these are words you need to hear today (i needed to remind myself of them a few minutes ago): it's okay to ask for what you need this weekend. maybe you need to sleep in. or rest. or have a long talk with a friend. or eat a cupcake. or get your hair cut. or take a photo walk. you can even ask you to give you what you need.

blessings and light,

liz

a girl and her vintage suitcases

Taking Ellie out into the world where there are lots of people can be intense sometimes as it can be with toddlers. She wants to walk where she wants to walk and she mostly wants to just keep walking to see all that she can see and find lots of grates in the street and sidewalk and not spend time looking through adorable booths of very good things at the Fremont Market where we went this morning at my request because I wanted crepes.

But then I spotted a few flowered oh my goodness those colors! vintage suitcases tucked under some vintage clothes in a booth. And suddenly we very much agreed on stopping to look around.

After I bought them, she would not let them go. 

As in a "we are going to wait for daddy in this spot and I am in charge of the suitcases so don't you touch them I really mean it" sort of not letting them go.

As in an "I see you looking at them because you think I am in the way but I am setting up my own booth right here thank you very much" sort of way.

With several minutes of "I think some other people might see how awesome these are and try to take them so I am just going to keep my eyes on them and stand right here." 

And then she insisted on carrying them to the car.

Gosh I love this kid.

And oh how I love these suitcases! Found them in a booth run by this delightful Etsy seller who I found out has a little "only open on some Saturdays" shop here in Tacoma that I can't wait to visit soon. 

for three minutes

For three minutes today, I stood at the kitchen table wearing my favorite apron, drinking a fizzy cherry coke, and gathering supplies for a new project that I can't wait to begin.

For three minutes, the windows were open and the sun was coming through them and ideas were buzzing about.

For three minutes, I was touching at the edge of getting into a flow while she napped.

Then, suddenly it became clear that she hadn't really fallen asleep and had no plans to.

So everything shifted.

Outside we went for sunshine and ball bouncing and snacking and that fizzy coke spilling all over my favorite apron and a quick change and more snacks and lots of seeing how fast she could run into one of mama's big hugs on repeat.

And really it was all just as it was supposed to be.

An invitation: Give yourself the gift of letting it be just as it's supposed to be today.

a girl and a remote

Sunday evening was one of those nothing is going right because i am almost two sort of evenings for Ellie Jane.

Until she befriended mama's camera remote.

Somewhere in in the midst of figuring out how to stand right in front of the camera and hit the button and "what is mama doing?" and "up up!," she found her giggle again.

(a big thank you to meredith and kristin and their now you workshop, which inspired me to take these photos today.)

joy seeker (april)

april 14, 2012

When I think about this day we had with Grandma and Grandpa on Lake Superior, I can still hear your laughter. Actually, you would probably be happy to play on this beach every day, learning more about the ways sand moves when you sink different rocks and sticks and other bits found on the beach into it. And then Grandma taught you how to throw rocks into the water. The look of absolute delight on your face each time you discovered something new was contagious. I can't remember the last time I laughed so much with Grandma. Thank you for sharing your joyful light with all of us. (I am so lucky to know you.)

***

the series "joy seeker" is one way i am documenting the "joy" superhero power that ellie jane has. i am gathering a photo + short story each month from her first to second birthday and sharing a few of them here on the blog. i plan put them all together and have them printed in a small book this summer.