hump day nuggets: little bits of the season in photos and words about the last week
Girls Just Want to Have Fun was one of my favorite movies when I was a girl.
Rebellion and big hair and dancing in spandex with matching half-shirts. Oh to think about being the blue collar good girl with a burning passion that would emerge in a dance off on television with my mom and little brother cheering on while my dad raced downtown to find me only to discover I truly was a dancing genius thanks to that roundoff back flip combo. Good stuff.
I wanted to post the scene I love from the movie, but then I discovered this video in my youtube search and it is something.
Dancing in Heaven. For whatever reason, it’s in my head today.
nuggets.
:: I so remember searching for and sorting rocks as a kid. At the river, in my backyard. I don’t ever remember feeling bored. There were always rocks and sticks and and such to spin tales with. Margot will often spend an hour seeking the perfect four rocks and then present them to me as our family. “This is Ruby, this is mama, this is daddy and this is Margot. Oh no I just dropped Ruby. Sorry Rubes! Are you ok? Do you need milk from your mama?”
OK, sometimes her exclamation is more colorful than “oh no”
:: We are still finding evidence of my cousin’s visit peppered around our stead.
Watching our girls play together brought back a ton of memories for Elise and me . Like the time we stayed up all night watching the Sound of Music and whispering by flashlight so we wouldn’t get caught. At 3am we decided we’d surprise our grandparents with pancakes and bread for breakfast. I was seven and Elise was nine. We mixed flour and eggs and sugar and milk. We sifted and stirred and I think we even used the stove. We used every bowl and spoon we could find and ended up with mounds of “food”, baking powder ground into carpet and a full gallon of milk spilled across the counter and then, just as the sun was peeking through the blinds we heard slippered feet shuffling down the hallway. We ran into the living room and hid behind the recliner stifling our nervous giggles. Oh my word! Girls! came from the kitchen. I think grandma Chot was mad for a hot second before she laughed. Or maybe she was mad longer than that but all I remember is the eventual laughter and very long cleanup.
And now we both have two daughters. It’s very cool.
:: The snow around our home is like a tide going out. Every day the snow retreats into the earth little by little and tiny electric green promises sing hello!
Looking to get your spring swing on? Dig sponsor CSN Stores has some pretty rockin’ wooden swing sets.
:: Ruby steers her little tricycle in circles which doesn’t work so well for the sidewalk. I am continually rerouting my right-learning girl as Margot peels away and Ruby squawks for her to wait. The other day, as I was hopping up to rescue Ruby, Margot stepped off her bike and calmly, patiently explained to Ruby how to turn left. Rubes sat and listened intently, with a smile that made my chest hurt. Homegirl still turns right but if I am not available, Margot is there to reroute. Oh this sister thing is amazing.
Margot explaining why it is important to lean left, on bikes and in politics.
:: We are all eager to dig in the garden and Margot has taken to moving the snow so she can see the dirt.
:: My refrigerator is sparkling, my kids’ snot is lovingly wiped every few minutes and tonight’s meal is not only planned but already cooking. My mom is in town.
:: And, my mom always comes with Margot’s new favorite clothing item in tow. Margot asked for a “long lighter pink dress with darker blue that can twirl like a princess dress or a nightgown” and my mom made just that. She wore it for two days and slept in it at night.
:: My art opening is on April 1, 5-8pm at the Brink in downtown Missoula. Yikes I am nervous and very excited. If you come and I don’t know you promise you’ll introduce yourself? I’d love it.
Left: detail, dryer lint cloud, Right: detail, cloud tree sculpture made from cut apart and stitched together words I’ve written. Thanks for your inquiries about my work. Yes, I’ll post photos when it’s up!
:: And I’m making myself a new frock for my opening. I hope to wear it and not look like I could smuggle an armoire which is pretty much how it fits my front side at the moment. But the bodice is adorable, it has deep pockets and the fabric has been begging from my stash for years. A belt or some pleats or something will happen. My mom is really good at creative tailoring.
:: A conversation I overheard while Margot and my mom were in the bathroom together: “Grandma, poop is food that goes through your belly and comes out of your intestines. But it isn’t gross. But you can’t eat it. So it is kind of disgusting.” And my mom said, “Well, yes, honey. That is exactly right.”
:: I so love where I live. That I can be at a trailhead in seven minutes and on a hilltop with a best friend in another 12 minutes.
And then turn 180 degrees.
:: Ruby Jane. She’s long and strong. She’s delicate but pushes back. When she sees me her giggles pile on top of each other until she can’t hold herself upright. She’s an observer like her papa. She’s determined like her mama. She is getting so big and opinionated.
I want to eat her cheeks.
And how about a little Dancing in Heaven to wrap up this week’s nuggets? (did you SEE the supermoon?!)
Hey, here I am.
I hear the universe sing
The celestial scream
I am not alone
Are you receiving you clear
There are others out there.
:: :: ::
all photos taken with a Canon Digital SLR from Vanns.com
61 Comments
I could not believe the beginning of your post! I LOVED this movie too.
(In fact, I may have the VHS tape sitting on my shelf right now. Maybe.)
Enjoy your mom’s visit!
I have no memory of that song, but the beat is pretty amazing. i may have to steal it (i’m maybe starting a band! first practice on sunday at my house). wish i could be there for your art opening. the cloud looks amazing. yay!
Oh my word!!! That video is hilarious 🙂 I loved Girls Just Want to Have Fun. So Great!a
My daughter at that age of 3 called them “spin around dresses”
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun is a classic. Looking back, it’s kind of bad, but so good in that nostalgic-way, because they were older than me and I wanted to be like them.
My daughter is 2 1/2 and insists on a tutu at all times.
DAMN Burb!…..I am HERE…listening to you say “Nugs is up” & and I still can’t be the first to post….your followers are just too fast!
I so love being here with you all, Margot , your love for me is overwhelming and Ruby your smile brings me to my knees! Seeing this epic moon shot gives whole new meaning to, “I love you to the moon and back”, and I do!
xoxo, Mom/Gram
ps……must clarify I was keeping Margot company while she was doing her “business” in the bathroom…not the other way around! 🙂
A couple of things I’ve been meaning to say and after this post I must say:
1) I really wish I could go to your opening. Just from those two little photos I know you’re going to rock it!
2) I really love Margot’s boots, and was thinking I especially love them with the grey leggings and now especially with that knit dress and grey leggings. I found your blog through Kelle’s and though her girls are always dressed so cute, it doesn’t exactly translate for life in the great white north. I hope to eventually dress my little 3 month old as cute as yours!
i loved that movie too! in fact saw it in the $5 bin and bought it for my daughters who are 8 & 5 (dancers) and they love it too! in fact, one came up to the computer hearing the video & said where’s janie? my son collects rocks, still, and he is soon to be 11. even has a shelf for them in his room!
i have been a silent reader for a year & love your blog!
awesome memories! thanks!
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Let me try this again…
Love the Alexander Henry birdseed print – I have it in pink and have spotted the orange in a fabric store on Haight St.
So funny, I was singing this song a couple weeks ago after hearing it on the Duran Duran channel on Pandora 🙂
The things Margot says – I love how you capture them. They must be hysterical for you to read again later.
Congratulations on your opening! I can’t wait to see pictures of your art. You’re going to be awesome!
I think I recognize that view, and those hills!
Asa totally makes characters out of found objects like rocks and stuff too. I love it!
Love this…
Margot explaining why it is important to lean left, on bikes and in politics.
Smart girl! Those cousiney pictures are beautiful! Absolutely love them! The awesome dresses, and the fab wings, and the spinny-dancy goodness!
I don’t comment often, but feel compelled to say that that video is not only something, it’s sensational. Sensational.
two sisters each raising two sisters. very cool indeed.
I loved that movie growing up, too.
Awww.. my sister and I are two years apart, and those adorrrrable pictures of Ruby and Margot bring back such amazing memories!! Tricycles… it wouldn’t be spring without ’em! Your blog makes me so impatient to have littles of my own 🙂 Thanks for another beautiful, wonderful post. <3
Oh, those cheeks! Precious. 🙂 I look forward to Wednesdays because of your hump day posts. 🙂
The love of sisters is unmatchable. And Margot says the absolute CUTEST things! Love her!!
Leaning left on the trike, on the bike, and in politics!!
AMEN SISTA!
xox
melina
Alright, it’s official: you guys are some of my favorite people ever (so funny that I feel like I know you!). The pic of Margot and Ruby with their trikes – leaning left in all facets of life. Love. Margot continues to amaze me with her hilariously spot on wisdom and positivity. Ruby could not be cuter with those cheeks and eyes. You are an ongoing inspiration to me and I always feel happier and more energized after I’ve read your posts. You rock. Also, I always enjoy reading your mom’s comments – her love, pride, and humor shine through. What a cool fam!
girls just want to have fun may actually be my all time favorite movie!! my bf and i watched it a MILLION times. i still have a special place in my heart for helen hunt and sjp because of it. thanks for bringing back some great memories!
can i just say this might be my favorite nuggets? ever?
(though i’m not totally counting out next week’s, yet.)
i wish your mom could have hid me in her bag so that i could meet you all and come to your show. i’ll be there in spirit cheering you on, ok? so excited to see!
but then i would have totally missed all of the fun that we are about to have around here …
I like the tricycle picture and that tiny sneak peek of your art. And the Missoula definition of spring: “Wheelbarrows, mitten-less swinging, camouflaged dog poo, rogue garden tools, prancing hens. Spring!” Different than ours, but good. Because different is good.
xoxo
Loved this post! My favorite favorite part was about Margot teaching Ruby how to turn left <3 Those sister moments are magical!
Thats so funny since I am currently uploading a movie of my son playing a game with his rock collection like they are people…mums, dads, teachers, babies and big boys!
Beautiful picures! And yes I took my son out to see the supermoon, he loved it! Our picture is nothing like yours though!
How does one make a dryer lint cloud??
That was my most favorite show ever as a pre-teen (maybe teen) but I am pretty sure I memorized every dance move in that movie and was convinced that I would be discovered on a talent show. ha ha. I love that song, but seeing the band who sang it…is a bit disturbing. LOL. Congrats on your art show
I have to say – that video was pretty darn funny!
Your kids are so cute!! Ruby is really sprouting up!
Love your blog.
Wow. Cousin girl love. Ain’t nothing like it. I’m so inspired by your art. I can’t wait to see more.
Hello, Ruby. May I pinch/kiss/squeeze a cheek – please? Man, what a cute sprout.
Your work has me very much intrigued and wanting to see more! Great post! Thanks for sharing.
You had me at “slow slow quick quick slow. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun was my favorite movie as a kid as well. (that and Adventures in Babysitting.). I loved it so much I actually put my baby girl smack dab in a middle of a pizza for a monthly photo project I was/am doing. For some reason that image at the beginning of the movie where they were watching Dance TV and babysitting really stuck like glue in my brain.
I wish I could come to your exhibition!! I bet it’s nerve-wracking, but I’m sure it will be a hit!
Love
I got all excited when I saw your paper flower, I love it. I decided a couple of months ago that I was going to try my hand at paper crafts (I pick something new to learn about every 3 months, obsessively work at it for about 2 months, and then it goes to storage in my laundry room indefinitely haha)…I have been using this book, it’s wonderful.
http://www.amazon.com/Decorating-Papercraft-Fresh-Eco-Friendly-Projects/dp/1600853013
Can’t wait to see everything you created for your show!
Margot is a riot! Her definition of poop should be in the dictionary (and I love your moms response).
As a mum to two girls (and a boy), I get so excited to see the bond between Margot and Ruby. My Ruby is the big sister in our family (she’s just a few weeks younger than Margot) and I look forward to baby Violet getting bigger (she’s 6 months right now) and learning important life lessons from her sister, such as how to twirl and lean left. Big brother can teach her to be like Indiana Jones.
We have one babe right now – she just turned 14 months yesterday, and we’re starting the adoption process up again, hoping to add one more wee bean to our family. Your pics of Margot and Ruby sometimes bring tears – I so want my girl to have a sister to share her life. I can’t wait to see who she is as a big sister.
Oh, and love Margot’s description of poop. She’s spot on. Our girl uses the potty for poops, and we’re always talking about “the poopers” and where they are and where they’re headed. Who knew poo could be so much fun?
YES! Girls Just Want to Have Fun was the best! I too wanted to be the incredible dancer with the super fun friend. Oh that brings back some fun memories! And now I can’t get that song out of my head, thank you very much!
That Margot is wise beyond her years.
I kind of want to eat her cheeks too 😉
dayum!!! blogger does not like me!
i love the leaning left on bicycles and in politics! smart girl!
the cousiny visit is wonderful… the dresses, the wings, the joy! what a hoot! yay for cousins!
I betcha can guess that I too loved Sarah JP and Helen H and their rad moves. Such a sweet hike yesterday. Thanks for the photo capture. Now if only the elusive sun would stay…
I adore the variety of knits the girls are wearing in this post.
Thanks for your sneak-preview! Can’t wait to see more.
Glad to see Margot imparting some sisterly advice to lean left in life. Cheers to that!
Oh how I LOVE that movie AND song!! And thanks to you, I’ll be singing it for the rest of the day!! maybe I’ll have to break out the dvd later, too!
And wasn’t the super moon amazing? Even in Atlanta, right in the city, it couldn’t have been more beautiful.
I love the art…best of luck at the opening!
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Refreshing nuggets!
Spring is in the air….
Love:
– That story from when you and your cousin were kids…..
– Margot’s questions and her imagination. She’s creative like you.
– Sister story…Margot teaching Ruby to turn left.
– Ruby…determined and opinionated 🙂
– That your mom made Margot’s dream dress and that she wore it for couple of days.
– Your art seems very cool. Makes me want to see more.
Loved it all! Laughed a couple of times too 🙂
And your pics are pretty nice!!!
First of all, so glad to read that you’re having a week without a trip to the emergency room. Woohoo! I love the blooming sisterly bond. Makes your heart swell daily.
I am very excited for you related to your show. I am amazed what elements you are using for your pieces. I was thinking if someone asked you, “what’s your medium?” it’s an endlessly open-ended answer. Thanks for the sneak peak.
Sooo happy that Mom is around to help you tailor out your dress. 🙂 Gotta love moms.
Enjoy your spring. We are getting a last blast of snow this weekend (booo!).
xo,
Jennifer from Annapolis
hahaha. “margot explains why it’s important to lean left. on bikes and in politics.” this made me geek out.
i love your blog. you and kelle have so inspired me. i relate to you spiritually, politically (ha), motherly, and just in all around essence. i dig you. thanks for sharing yourself & your life. and thanks for inspiring me to do the same. it’s nice to feel like you have a kindred spirit here on the good ol’ internets.
Yep, my favorite post and photos of all time.
Love where you live too… I will be there to visit soon~ maybe!!
Beautiful from the title on…..
Sound of music. My all-time fav. movie. The family in which everyone compared our family to…when all seven of us were playing music together growing up.
Nice you have the help of mom..and the love of mom.
Wonderful pictures, wonderful post!
I love your weekly nuggets so! That picture of the four girls is just killer – the look on Ruby and the other little girl priceless!
We’re starting to contemplate a number two and whenever I feel totally freaked out by the idea I look at the beautiful relationship your two girls have and want that for my son.
Enjoy your time with your mom – can’t wait to hear about it in nuggets next week!
Oh and totally forgot – you’re totally going to rock you opening girl!
I’ve been reading your blog long enough now, that I’m loving seeing Margot’s outgrown clothes on Ruby! And the sisters on bikes is just love, love! Excited for your opening, I may actually be in Missoula next weekend – if so I would love to be there – it looks wonderful – congratulations!
And my fridge only sparkles when my mother in law visits…I kind of save it for her, so she feels needed, you know?
That video just made my day. It brings up so many questions in my mind… Like, how awesome did they think they looked? And were all of them enthusiastic, or did they have to be convinced how rad it would be? And do their 60 year old selves know that they’re on youtube?
These pictures make me want to move to Missoula- can it really be that amazingly spectacular? Or are your photos deceiving? Oregon is nice, too, maybe you want to swap houses for a season or two?? Snow would be fun.
I would totally come to your opening if I lived there, especially to see the dress. Please tell me we’ll be seeing the finished product?
seeing mamas take time for personal creativity is so deeply inspiring to me right now…good luck getting ready for show, happy super moon!
Your pics from the hilltop make my heart hurt a little. In the 2 years since we left Missoula for Portland just yesterday I found my first trail to run on that felt like a little combo of Blue Mountain and Pattee Canyon. It felt so good. But I had to drive 20 minutes to get there. I miss those trails more than anything. Thank you for your photo evidence that they will still be there when I get back!
I found your blog a couple months ago and I just love it. Thanks for sharing your life.
We actually were in art school together a decade or so ago. I knew you were a talented artist but had no idea about your gift for writing. I am excited about your art show. I hope to be there for the opening and maybe we can re-meet each other.
Audrey
Oh my gosh Nici, I love that movie! I wonder if we watched it together? I still have the VHS tape and the cassette of the soundtrack (bought it just for Dancing in Heaven!). Love it, may have to pull it out when I get home, thanks for the smiles today!
,,,”Margot explaining why it is important to lean left, on bikes and in politics.”,,,that-a-girl,,,(smile),,,in az suppose to fly back to md 4.1 thinking about taking a detour and traveling to mt,,,will introduce myself if same should happen,,,
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