hump day nuggets: little bits of the season in photos and words about the last week
Lately, more than ever before in my whole life, I have moments that pull my attention like an unforgiving magnet, yank me away (even when I resist) from whatever it is I am doing and scream do nothing but this!
Like when my kids run naked though the house in the morning. Windows open, sunlight morphing dust bunnies into a charming sparkle. Shrill, open-mouthed laughter and limitless energy. What a way to begin a day.
Or when Andy gets home from work and every creature is wound up tight and hopeful: the kids, the pets and me all excited for different arms. What a way to begin an evening.
Or, at bedtime when we skip though the routine and settle into the warm embrace of quilts and quiet light to read and read. And then spin stories about magic carousels that fly. What a way to begin sleep.
It’s the magic of summer, the magic of warm skin and long days. It’s the magic of plants and kids that grow while we watch, making us excited for next and nostalgic for last.
nuggets.
:: Evening rain storms complete with thunder and lightening have been quite exciting encouraging us all to cuddle and stare out the window – waiting – for the next boom and flash. The beginnings are my favorite. When the sky is neon and changes every second. Warm drops of rain are refreshing and exhilarating, thunder is distant. Perfect time for picking yarrow with my rhubarb.
:: Our lettuce has moved from tender, sweet naivety to coarse, seasoned bitterness. I always wait until the *last* possible moment to pull the thick stalks that grew from a seed the size of a glitter fleck. My lament is softened by the chickens lusty pursuit of the cast aways.
:: I am loving morning hikes, just me and my kids and a host of things to look at, listen to and talk about.
:: I also love afternoon yoga sessions. Margot is a wonderful teacher, Ruby a captive, adoring pupil.
:: I might detest putting laundry away but I love hanging laundry on the line. The hopeful organization and simple aesthetic of it all. Our diaper covers have been working hard for nearly four years.
For regular care, we wash in cold and line dry covers. Recently, they developed a funk. An unclean, ammonia smell. I washed the whole lot in hot water, rinsed three times. Poof. Smell gone.
:: “MOM! Come here! Can you find us?!”
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:: Our neighborhood ducklings grew up before our eyes. Margot is shocked and relies on me to tell the difference between the mama and the babies. She asks, “They are big now? So fast?”
Her questions make me tear up because I can’t help but look at her strong, tall, capable body and think the very same thing.
Her opinion and autonomy multiply daily. Goodness, I just love her every cell.
“Mama, it’s so beautiful! Let’s go outside and take our picture!”
:: My parents beloved dog died this week.
I told Margot Annie died. She asked, “I won’t see Annie again?” I told her no, that death meant she was gone. There was silence and I opened my mouth several times to fill it but didn’t. And then, “But my dog won’t die, right? Because Alice is alive.” I inhaled and told here that indeed every living thing dies and yes, Alice is alive and that is wonderful thing to think about and love.
:: When Margot was a baby, my friend bought her this beautiful handmade doll in London. I kept it high on a shelf because it is fragile, hand-stitched from recycled cashmere, stuffed with lentils. Margot asked regularly to hold the baby in the lighter pink pajamas and I’d fetch him and then put him back. Until I didn’t put him back. Because, suddenly, I realized he was made to be loved. Everything lives and then dies, right? And, what’s life on a shelf?
Many months later, ‘baby in the lighter pink pajamas’ is hanging tough, all pilly and adored. A hole patched with a bandaid and a big ol’ chocolate ice cream bruise.
:: Every morning, Margot and Ruby race out to see if there are any more peas. Amazingly, there are. The peas I put up last year lasted through the winter. I really don’t think we’ll have a single sizable harvest this year. And, that’s just fine. Great, even.
:: I feel addicted to play dates right now. Releasing the kids into the wild while adults meander with watchful eyes. It’s so wonderfully summery and awesome.
:: Oh these easy evenings of low, hot sun and people in fits of activity or nothing at all.
:: I keep noticing that my kids are kids. It hits me when I am making the bed and look to see their sisterly communication and problem-solving. It’s awesome and heartbreaking.
Awesome because they are developing as they should and it continues to be challenging, fun and surprising in the loveliest ways. Heartbreaking because I want to make them miniature and stuff them into my mouth, preserved under my tongue, in the soft nook behind my lower front teeth.
The heartbreaking part is pretty fleeting. I mean I can’t dwell on it too long because something is happening like water is gushing through floor boards of our old home into basement like a waterfall because Margot experimented with flushing an entire roll of toilet paper or Ruby is singing indiscernible soliloquies while Alice barks top volume. Importantly, something begs for my attention.
pedicure by Margot
I decided it is a good place to be, excited for next and nostalgic for last. Here. Where water pushes down the hall among a soundtrack of vowels and barks.
happy hump day out there.
ps: I started hump day nuggets because I found, at the end of a week, I had snippets I wanted to document and share. Nuggets are my snappy memories and thoughts, “little bits of the season in photos and words about the last week.” Many have asked about adopting the nuggety format. I always answer yes! and very much appreciate the camaraderie and respect in asking.
Nugget it up and share. Here’s code for a the HDN diddy to the left:
:: :: ::
all photos taken with a Canon Digital SLR from Vanns.com
37 Comments
I’m always in wonder at just how fast it goes and comparing right now with last year. Too fast.
Sorry about your mama’s dog. We’ve been talking about Sophie lately and how we will probably never realize the magnitude of her presence in this family until she’s not here…she’s getting up there.
,,,sorry to hear about annie’s death, my parent’s lost their dog in may he is sorely missed and their home is not the same,,,
,,,triple love, “mom! come here! can you find us?!”,,,as if anyone could miss their sweetness,,,
,,,”nuggets” were tasty today, thank you!,,,
Pure sweetness…I’ll be back…
xoxo
Hump Day Nuggets make me smile even though I didn’t get to read them until Thursday this week.
Sorry about your parents dog, my cat just died about a month ago and it was heartbreaking. Ivy still talks about it and tries to explain it too me as if I don’t understand what happened. It’s really quite cute.
My snow peas also seem to be lasting FOREVER this year! It’s a nice treat. I’ve been taking a little bag into work each morning and munching on them all day long.
What a beautiful post. I love your blog, and read every word of hump-day nuggets post with glee!
I’ve got a little home, a garden, a great man, and a little sewing business of my own, but I’m still waiting on the kiddies part.. in the meantime, I indulge my inner-momma by reading your posts. Fantastic!
Thanks for sharing with us 😀
Oh, so very sorry about the pup 🙁 That’s never easy. But thank you so much for another wonderful Nugget post. I always get so excited when I see it come up in my reader…it truly makes my day!
<3
Wonderful, just wonderful!
Lovely nuggets…worth waiting for…hope the skirt turned out as you wished. So sorry to hear about Annie… our Dewey is getting up there as well… he is my first baby and we don’t like to think about the inevitable. A few extra scritches & two little boys making a literal dogpile on him are enough to keep us present in the here & now.
Love that first pic of Margot running… gorgeous. And naked Ruby yoga is priceless!
Cheers,
Kate
thanks for finding the time last night to do these! Did you get your skirt done too??
Sorry to hear about Annie the pooch. So heartbreaking. My in-laws’ dog is slowly deteriorating and we’ve been wondering how our 4.5 year old Brooklyn will take it. She is very concerned about death and dying, and says to me at least once a day, “I never want you to die”. But, on the other hand, she does think that once we die we go to Heaven and eat cupcakes all day long. I have no idea where she came up with this, because we don’t discuss Heaven or other such religious notions.
I’ve been wondering about the nuggets and if other people are allowed/supposed to follow along. I’m excited to join in the fun and hope to start next week!
I love the post! Sorry about your parents dog… always a hard part of life.
Such a fun way to share the little memorable bits of your week! Your family is beautiful… I love the layered skirts and insect backpack 😉 Too cute!
“Importantly, something begs for my attention.” So true! What I fear is when nothing will beg for my attention. My girls will prefer to barricade themselves inside their rooms or prefer the company of their friends. I am hoping I have at least ten years before that happens. For now, I soak in each moment in their presence and try my best to remain present and engaged.
I’m sorry about your parents dog.. I always look forward to your Nuggets 🙂
Oh, and I love that yoga picture!
Loved the part about the baby in the lighter pink pajamas and the photo. See you soon. I’ll know you by the blue swirly skirt. 🙂
I have been reading your blog for a little over 6 months now and I actually get so excited on Thursdays to read your nuggets from the day before. Margot never stops making me crack up and I can only imagine how your own days must be!
I am going to try to adopt this trend too.
Beautiful post. It all really does go too fast. But there is nothing like the lazy feeling of summer. thanks for sharing. xo
Sorry to hear about your moms dog! 🙁 Great idea on the hump day nuggets!
Always loving your nuggets, but this week was especially sweet for me. After a super busy Wednesday at my house, I didn’t get on to check until the evening and saw that they weren’t up yet. Life is busy, and I was thrilled to read your post about the possibility of an evening entry.
Something about this post almost read like a list of gratitude and appreciation for the present. Moments of pure bliss mixed with the emotion of attachment to that bliss and a tiny bit fear for the future changes. Your writing and photographs always leave me feeling like I just hugged a good friend.
Thank you, as always, for sharing.
“Heartbreaking because I want to make them miniature and stuff them into my mouth, preserved under my tongue, in the soft nook behind my lower front teeth.”
My goodness, I love this statement! I wasn’t sure if I wanted to laugh, cry, or just nod enthusiastically in agreement. Marvelous thing, this time that marches on.
So sorry to hear about Annie. Losing a pet is undeniably, and sometimes surprisingly, difficult.
I love seeing a photo that I never even knew you snapped! That was a fun playdate… thanks.
Just beautiful./ One of my fav post. Simple and true.
Love: “I decided it is a good place to be, excited for next and nostalgic for last.”
Sorry about your mom’s dog. Such an important member of the family. A year later I still miss mine every day. But, she was so loved…..and that is the most important thing.
Have a great weekend!
Yep, definitely one of my favorites of yours. 🙂 It’s funny how summertime seems to show us how quickly time passes when it SHOULD be the slowest season them all since it’s so wonderful. 🙂
Your writing makes me feel so at ease. Thank you.
I apologize that I already commented, but I just wrote about you and wanted to share. Thank you again for all that you do.
Inspiration is a word that I hear too often without appreciating its true form. The word, itself, recollects images of posters from middle school counselor offices (okay, I might like the one that shows the Dalmation litter boasting a rainbow-spotted pup) , but beyond the disposable and marketable “inspiration” that you can find on every Target shelf, there are true moments of inspiration in this world.
I can recall watching a childhood friend of mine holding a piece of chalk to the cement of my driveway while she twirled in circles. The spiraling designs she created were ones that I had never made before. She giggled with contentment as she stopped spinning and took a few dizzy steps to regain her balance. Just as her laughter subsided, a squeal erupted from her lips. “EEEEK!,” she looked at me with bursting excitement, “Come do it next to me with a different color!” she demanded. I couldn’t have hoped for a better invitation. Here I was, almost silenced with envy at her beautiful circular creation and there she stood, beckoning me to join her.
I was inspired by her carefree approach to art that day on my driveway, and later in life, this brazen redhead would inspire and motivate me in many more ways. I have thought about this day many times. However, a new revelation has occurred to me. She didn’t have to ask me to join her. It wasn’t the tango. She could have easily continued her spinning, twirling, giggling, and shrieking with a party of one. Perhaps she caught a glimpse of me standing statuesque with jealousy that I had not come up with this idea myself. I believe others might have turned to me and said, “Look at what I did!” She did not. She looked to me and said, “You should, too!” That is inspiring in a whole new way.
I have been inspired by the lives of a few bloggers, and in the same way that Jane asked me to join her, I discovered a wonderful invitation today from one of them. Miss Nici Holt, of Dig This Chick MT.com has updated her blog with hilarious diddies and tidbits of her life in a weekly special called “Hump Day Nuggets.” Upon reading some nuggets from her today, I discovered that she created a little icon for this and offered it to others to use. I can just picture her reaching toward me with an oblong shape of chalk and calling to me, “You should, too!” Thank you Nici. I don’t know you, and you “did it first,” but you have welcomed others to the party. Here’s to Hump Day Nuggets!
Ooh – I love that you brought down the doll for her to love and play with instead of hiding it up on a shelf where it was “safe”. I knitted a bunny for a friend’s new babe about 6 years ago – angora yarn, cashmere ears, embroidered monogram on its belly – and she never let Ava play with it because it was “too pretty”.
So, now I’m only making ugly shit for friends’ kids – so that they’ll actually let the kids use the toys in the hopes that they’ll fall apart and disappear.
Good business model, right?
THIS ONE! From your Facebook question the other day…this one is my new favorite! And many more to come I am sure!
So very sorry about your parents’ dog.
Thank you for letting us adopt the humpy format, it’s become a weekly ritual for me.
So so sorry about Annie. We recently lost one of our doggies to cancer, and my 4-year old, Nolan, is still trying to cope.
Alice seems like she is such a good girl. Give her a pet for me. 🙂
I am so sorry to hear about your parent’s dog. It’s so hard. Alex told us a few months ago that Buckley was done being in heaven. And he’s coming back after he buys some cookies. And that she’s ready to see him. Snap…that’s my heart…breaking for the sweetness, but also for the sting that I have to teach her a bit more why Buckley isn’t returning. Love her imagination though.
But I love that you gave Margot the toy, removing it from it’s precious space; bring it in to your fold. If you were the toy or any toy for that matter, would you be happier to be loved to stained pieces? I know that I would.
Happy weekend.
Jennifer
So much nuggetty goodness!
I don’t know what was better, Rubes and Margot doing Yoga. The peekaboo (it’s my boy’s obsession!) Margot picture taking suggestion (that’s about when I started getting choked up) or your explanation of death… I believe in the honesty approach, the whole treasure what you have whilst you have it, because nothing lasts forever. Happy Wednesday to you. You’re by far my favourite blog, btw.
Shaylen
“I want to make them miniature and stuff them into my mouth, preserved under my tongue, in the soft nook behind my lower front teeth.” Perhaps my favorite of yours ever! The anticipatory nostalgia of raising a child is indeed awesome and heartbreaking and such a gift to be a part of. That first picture of Margot running off frame just says it all doesn’t it?
So sorry about Annie!
As always….a perfect mix of perfection, sweetness & so much truth! Sorry about the pup 🙁
I love your outlook Nici….you even make washing look magical & fun 🙂
xo
Where did you get that awesome bug backpack for Margot?
Nici I love the button for the hump day nuggets (and will be using it to start my own nuggets this week) but do you also have a button for your blog itself available? I looked around a bit and couldn’t find one… let me know if you have one please so I can use it instead of regular ol’ link from my blog. Thanks!