This Moment

Playing along with Amanda today... in her words: 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. 

Last Year

If you were in my kitchen this morning, you'd smell the scent of shampoo drifting from the bathroom and mingling with the aroma of freshly brewing coffee. You'd hear the sounds of kiddos stirring and a restless cat anxious to begin his morning prowl outside. Through the windows, you'd see a sleepy puppy stretched out on grass that has made it through the summer, still green.

We'd talk about the cold front that's coming, and the rain we'll hopefully get with it.

We'd share some orange-cranberry-oatmeal muffins.

We'd snicker at the final thwarting of the rabbits with the extra 2' of chicken wire added to the garden fence.

Then, as the kids joined us, it would be hard not to marvel at how big they're getting, how fast time flies, and how much has changed since last year...

...and that was just last year... time really does fly.

Right Now

Right now, I'm...

...still smiling at the success of the birthday plans made for my love, and the amount of effort his daughter put in to her part in them.
...once again humbled at the amount of joy that my kiddos find in balloons, no matter the occasion (or the amount).
...re-reading some of our favorite seasonal books to start making to-do and craft lists for the none-too-soon arrival of my favorite season (topping the list are herbed vinegars and maize dollies honoring the harvest, found in Festivals, Family, and Food, a garden/harvest journal inspired by The Rhythm of Family, and some fun plans for honoring the first day of fall).
...marveling at the 13-hour transition between a record-breaking 104-degree evening and the chilly 68-degree morning that followed.
...clinging to the coziness of these chilly mornings with all of us together lingering over hot tea, fresh pancakes, bacon, and silly Sister stories.
...loving the energizing feeling that comes from this dry, crisp air, and the tangibility that Autumn suddenly seems to have.

Right now, talk of fall is wafting through my house with the breezes from the open windows, and if you listen closely, you might also hear an excited girl talking about what comes with the change in seasons... *ahem, rainbow birthday party, ahem*. Wishing all an energized beginning to the week. Happy Monday.

>Linking up with Three Squares today

This Moment

Playing along with Amanda today... in her words: 

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

A Good-Bye to Summer, Poolside

Autumn is coming. Yes, it's still 100 degrees. Yes, the fresh, tiny sprouts popping up out in the garden still wilt daily with the intense late-summer sun. It still feels like summer... but something primitive deep within me can feel things changing all around.

With every "cold" front that slips down our way, with every breeze not quite as suffocatingly humid, and with every blessed rainy day, I can sense summer's grip loosening just a bit. It won't be long now.

I think we're ready to say good-bye to summer, albeit poolside... for now.

Another Tuesday in Photos

Right Now

Right now, I'm loving...

...the extra time we have this Labor Day weekend to be together to do... whatever. Happy Monday.