a little bit of pretty

Just a few pretty pictures from the last few weeks I hadn't yet posted. The peony is from today - I just can't get enough of it! (Translation: you'll be seeing more of it.)

Happy Saturday!

lady's slippers

I need to stop and smell the roses more. Or look for the lady's slippers, as it were. It is so easy for me to get caught up in all of the daily to-dos of this season, their stress and seeming immediacy, and to forget to literally and figuratively open my eyes and really take in what's happening around me. I took the car to the garage yesterday morning to have a strange noise addressed, and walked the few minutes to my office to finish paperwork.

It was one of those humid early mornings in late June that smells like life and warmth and sweet soggy earth. With a zillion thoughts swirling through my head and so many things to do at the very end of the school year, I started marching over to the office to
get
things
done.

Along the sidewalk, there's a lovely little wood that I hadn't really noticed before, since I had always driven that stretch in the past. And when I took a second to appreciate the light falling in a little clearing, there they were. The most perfect little assembly of sodden lady's slippers.



I don't particularly enjoy hurrying. It just seems to be my default setting. I do enjoy the satisfaction that comes along with accomplishing tasks, but at the end of a busy day, I'll wish that I had taken a few minutes to just stop and take it all in.

And you know what? Blogging and sharing these little moments is one of the things that helps me to process and appreciate them, odd as that sounds. This past year (I mean school year, as I'm a teacher, so that's how my life is organized) was absolutely nutty, and many little things that I love (blogging included) have been neglected. Which is fine - it's what I chose. But now that the school year's over and it's finally summer, I'm choosing to bring those wonderful sanity-savers back. Next year is shaping up to be a wee bit less crazy, but you know what? I want to be calm in the face of whatever it turns out to be, and no one else is able to do that for me.

And now is the time to start. So hello again, friends! Happy Summer!

poppies

Happy Summer! I missed posting on the solstice, but I hope that you celebrated in wonderful fashion. I love this time of year. The smell of the ocean that hangs in the air on these humid days, and the sense of promise of a relaxing, perfect summer are just the best.

My ambitious plans for rhubarb jelly and gluten-free crackers? I overcooked and ruined the jelly. Bah. And still haven't tried making the crackers. I have rhubarb juice ready for attempt #2 at the jelly, and might get to the crackers soon. I made an amazing soup last night for supper, though. Mmm, that was good.

Three more days until summer break, folks! It's shaping up to be a great summer after the most hectic work year to date. I'm really looking forward to a reset with lots of rest and free time. My books and magazines are piled high (thanks for the suggestions!) just waiting to be read. I've been doing some reading over the past few weeks and finished a couple of books, but didn't really like either enough to recommend.

Need some oregano? Holy smokes, ours is huge. The peas are coming along, but I've had to replant my kale and several other things. I think the rain washed the seeds away, and the birds did seem to be hanging out there quite a bit. I did the replant, though, and the kale at least is popping up. And we have a bit of lettuce, some cucumbers, and I tucked in a few tomatoes. We'll see what we end up with!

I'm looking forward to posting more often over the summer and getting out the real camera. (Don't forget, though, that you can always find me on Instagram and see pictures like this one as they happen!)

lilacs

The lilacs are almost done blooming. They don't last very long after they've been cut, but I want to enjoy these ones in the kitchen while I still can. The scent reminds me of the first summer that Adam and I were married - we lived in a tiny, tiny apartment in Fredericton, with a shower that Adam had to kneel in. I'm not exaggerating - they installed the plumbing under the tub, so it was raised up a foot or so to accommodate that, in the upstairs of an old house. We met some amazing friends that summer, who lived a block away. (Hi, Jen! Love you!) We spent the loveliest times with them that summer playing cards and mini-golf. The whole summer holds the happiest memories for me - we went for bike rides after dark (the only time it was cool enough to handle it), and played tennis at Wilmot Park in the rain. Outside of our bedroom window were several huge lilacs, and waking up to that scent on sunny mornings at the end of May was just about the loveliest thing possible.

It's Friday! Only a few weeks of work left before summer, and I am ready for a break. Schools here aren't out for summer until June 28, and there are many, many things I need to get done before then. This whole year, for a host of reasons, was just plain crazy. It should be a little less so next year. And I'm planning to thoroughly enjoy a break in between, with lots of visits and campfires.

I'm hoping to make some rhubarb jelly this weekend. I love rhubarb, and always have. And jelly is the perfect way to preserve that amazing bright favour, since it's pretty much just rhubarb and sugar. And the colour is so pretty! I'm also planning to try making up a gluten-free cracker recipe, too, so that Adam will have crackers to eat that don't cost us our firstborn and our life savings. We're expecting a lot of wind and rain, and a generally unpleasant day tomorrow, so I think it will be the perfect kind of day for making delicious things in the kitchen.

Thinking ahead to summer, do you have any amazing book recommendations? I'm looking for some good summer reading. Well-written fiction, nothing too heavy to hold up in bed (I don't mind non-fiction on a screen, but fiction feels better on paper.) Nothing too figuratively heavy, either, but well-written is a must.

Have a lovely weekend!

foggy morning

Good morning!

I'm up before the rest of my crew this morning. The sun is well up and it's going to be another beautiful day.  And with that, it's time to start waking them up. Oh, those sweet little boy faces, when they're waking up and stretching! So sweet.

Happy Thursday!

6

Yesterday, Phillip turned 6. It's hard to believe that he was once that sweet, squalling, tiny baby. He had a great birthday, and was thrilled to wear that 'birthday boy' pin for the day. The weather was gorgeous for the whole weekend, so we dined outside and generally had fun.

This little adventurer figured out how to climb the cherry tree on his own last week. He's extremely proud of himself. (And pretty cute, too.)

I'm so glad that my previous post struck a chord with some of you - I had several people approach me in person to tell me. Which I love! I sometimes wonder who's out there, especially since I haven't been posting frequently as of late. I still mean every word of that post - you are absolutely enough. I want you to believe it, too.

Happy Monday.