Sturdy for Common Things

One Year

LBD had her first birthday this weekend. Our baby is no longer a baby.

I awoke that morning thinking… I will never forget the way, I fell in love on that day.

Used this recipe as inspiration.

And it was perfect.

And she loved it.

Along with the cake there were presents. Oh, were there presents.

And Family. And Friends.

The sun was shining, the heat lingering…. just like that day one year ago.

A Happy Birthday.

When I didn’t think my heart could grow anymore. It did.

We love you, baby girl.

More than anything.

Hot Hot Heat

The temperature has been rising. Kansas in July. But since last Thursday we haven’t so much felt the heat outside as we have inside. Arriving home from work on Thursday evening, I walked through the door to find a drowsy and warm little girl. The next day LBD grew warmer. And by Friday evening when she reach 103.1 degrees we took her to the hospital as advised by her doctor.  She was given a strict regime of fever reducers and antibiotics. Five hours after returning home from the hospital her fever spiked to 105.8. Her body was a furnace. When we returned to the hospital the nurse on staff advised us to wait it out and if the fever does not subside to bring her back. Luckily we did not have to go back as her fever came down to 102 and stayed within that range until it eventually dropped.

During that time, we spent the majority of our time sleeping, eating, comforting and waiting in the cool confines of the basement. Staying clear from the stuffy heat in the upstairs bedrooms. Using the extra furniture downstairs and an old set of kids foam floor tiles, we built a nook where we remained until the fever broke. The days were long and blurred together.

This picture is from last Saturday. LBD and her daddy watching The Muppet Show on DVD. She rarely watches TV or movies, but I think she found it an entertaining distraction from the monotony of her confine.

By the morning of the Fourth of July, the fever broke. We moved out of the basement. And enjoyed the holiday as much as we could.

She’s (almost) back to her normal self again. Running, laughing, playing. Just in time for her next celebration.

Her first birthday is Friday.

Buds and Blooms

The traveling garden grows!

Fresh summer air and evening storms inspired a few petals to peak through and vegetable buds to sprout. My assistant helps me water them in the late afternoon when I return home from work. Her little thumb is already turning green.

Summer Shuffle

It’s been awhile. A lot longer than I thought it would take before I would blog again. It was a priority that got lost in the shuffle, but I am here. Here making a regular appearance once again.

We’ve finally settled into a somewhat normal, although temporary, routine for the summer. I started my new job working as a librarian two days after the move. It was easier than I thought to make the transition from being a stay-at-home mom to going back to work. Just because I thought it was easier, doesn’t mean it wasn’t hard. Because it was. Especially in the beginning.

But we’ve adjusted. And in the meanwhile I’ve grown to love my job.

This picture above was taken the morning of my first day of going off to work. I felt like a kid on my first day at school.

We are living at my friend’s parent’s house for the next couple of months. Their house is about about an hour commute from work. Audiobooks occupy the drive. It’s been a great way to sneak in some summer reading among all the hustle and bustle. Actually, now that I think about it, everyone has been reading quite fervently this summer. I suppose it’s hard not to be inspired when surrounded by books day in and day out.

After the day is done, there is no feeling in the world like the feeling of seeing LBD toddling over to me when I walk into the door. Arms stretched out. Falling into me with a laugh. There is nothing like being home again. Even if it’s a temporary home. Eternally thankful for the kindness and hospitality of having a place to live in transit, in anticipation of the weeks to come where we are able to start planting roots, making a home of our own in August.

For the time being, everyone has settled in quite nicely…

Even the traveling garden has made a place of it’s own on the back deck.

This picture was from a couple weeks ago. You should see them now.

Although, we did have a cucumber plant casualty. Only a few remain.

LBD’s baby pool also lives on the back deck. She is in it almost everyday.

Baby girl loves the water. Just like momma.

She’s also been growing up lately. The changes have been very distinct since we moved to Kansas. I blink and she is an inch taller.  She’s walking and “talking” and climbing and playing and laughing. Always laughing. Just the other day my mother commented on the fact that she’s a kid now, a baby no more.

She’ll always be my baby.

What else, what else?

We started using cloth diapers. A change we wish we made earlier in the game.

And Will is no longer a vegetarian. Guess he couldn’t resist the aroma of BBQ that seems to linger around town…

Oh, and I had a birthday. On June 10th.

28 years old. Hard to believe another year has gone by.

Other than that, each day flies by. Most mornings we rise at dawn. The days are warm, ephemeral, and then dark with night once again.

Week End

Hi there!

I apologize for the time lapse. I haven’t had access to internet over the past week, so this post is brought to you by the free wi-fi at the local library.

The picture above was taken last Friday in Ludington…. the day before we moved to Kansas. It’s hard to believe it’s the same lake from a few months ago. It’s also hard to believe it was alredy time to say goodbye. Goodbyes are always the hardest part.

So instead we said, “See you later.”

See you later, Ludington.

Thankfully, the move went smoothly and we all made it to Kansas safely. Safe and together. It’s been quite hectic since settling in our new (temporary) home, starting my new job, and getting into the grove of a new schedule. But I will be posting regularly again starting next week.

And I have so much to share. About our move, the traveling garden, about my transition as a working mother. But for now, for this weekend, we’re adjusting and laying low. Taking some time to take it all in.

Have a wonderful holiday weekend.

So It Begins, The Traveling Garden

We joke that this is grandma’s garden. Her field of well-maintained dandelions.

I like them. Better than snow in the backyard that’s for sure.

Over the past week, I’ve been back and forth during the move out of our house on whether or not I would go forward with The Traveling Garden. I’m going to go for it. Well, that is if it fits in the the moving truck that we’re packing today… Read More

Farewell, Little Red House

Farewell, little red house.

We shared a lot over the year.

New beginnings. Joy, anticipation, tears and laughter.

Lots of laughter.

I brought my baby home to you.

This was our living room.

It was where my baby learned how to sit up. How to walk. How to crawl. How to smile.

And does she smile.

Always smiling.

It’s where we would read away the afternoon.

It’s where we played. And played. And played. And played.

Birthdays. Holidays. Family. Friends. They came and went.

Our first family Christmas tree was so big, it barely fit under your ceiling. It illuminated the entire room. We never turned a lamp on during the month of December.

This was LBD’s first room. The baby room.

We painted it “Malibu Peach”. I’ve never liked the color pink, but I do now. Guess it’s inevitable when you have a girl. Peach for a peach.

When we first brought her home, I use to come downstairs one, two, three times a night to check her. Carefully, down the creaky stairs. Carefully open the creaky door. To rest my palm on her back. It would softly rise and fall. She was so tiny. So real.

A lot of sleeping took place in this room.

And not a lot of sleeping took place.

This was Will and I’s bedroom.

It was my favorite room in the house.

We didn’t have much money to decorate, but it’s amazing what a coat of paint can do.

This bedroom is where I learned to sew. Where I grew my first seedlings.

Where I would take ritual afternoon naps when I was pregnant. Dreaming and waiting.

Waiting and dreaming.

This was on New Years Eve. LBD didn’t want to go to bed. We listened to the fireworks at midnight. A slumber party of three.

Our bedroom was where LBD had her accident. I cried. Oh, I cried. I’ll never forget that day.

It’s where Will and I stayed up late, discussing our future.

It’s where the evening light would fade into the night.

This was our kitchen.

Blueberry pie, Pad Thai, Black Forrest, Cake, Sicilian Toast, baby food, Spinach Ravioli,

Homemade Guacamole…

One day, I was washing dishes here and decided to grow my first garden.

My garden was my peace.

This was our backyard.

Where my sunflowers lived.

Among other flowers.

Where we had countless barbecues.

Where Will threw me a surprise birthday party.

Well, it was almost a surprise. I found out the night before.

Bluegrass was playing on the radio. The summer night was warm. The food was good.

The company, the best.

I use to watch the snow fall here while the baby napped. It snowed and snowed….

A winter in Michigan.

This house was where I became a mother. Where Will and I spent our first year of marriage. It’s where I came into my own. Where plans were made, and lessons learned.

It’s where one September evening , I had a passing thought to write a blog. About family and growing, And common things.

At The Inlaws

As of today, we’re completely moved out of our little red house. The keys have been handed over. Nomads for the next couple of months. Currently, we are living with the in-laws. They live outside of town. At night, you can listen to the wind rock the trees. It’s peaceful here. Next weekend we move to Kansas. But today we napped, Grandma and Papa played with the baby, I did some reading… a day of rest.

The face farthest to the right is Will’s 5th grade self portrait.

Keeping watch.

First flower bloomed on of my cucumbers.

LBD’s new friend. They have a lot in common.

Window Exit

This is exactly what it looks like. And yes, this is how we got the mattress in the house in the first place. And yes, I didn’t breathe the entire time out of sheer fear. And yes, we know exactly what we’re doing. Well…. sorta.

When I was pregnant last summer, the more my tummy grew, the more uncomfortable Will and I’s full bed became. So, Will’s parent’s offered us an extra queen bed they had in their home. The only problem was (as you can see) that it didn’t fit through the door.

Can’t go through the door? Try the window. The second story window.

These pictures are from a couple days ago of my husband and our good friend Jamie and the bed removal operation. I’ve mentioned Jamie before here. Everyone should have a friend Jamie. She has a habit of starting a conversation with: “I’ve got an idea…” When that happens, you’re in for it.

Read More

So Long For Now, Jolene

Jolene the Sewing Machine will be vacationing in a storage unit over the summer. I thought about it and it just wasn’t practical or realistic to continue on throughout all the moving. I bid her adieu over the weekend….my lessons in sewing to be continued this fall.