late night mcnuggets

I'm slipping them in right under the wire, but it's still HUMP day, so these are still...

hump day nuggets: little bits of the season in photos and words about the last week.  Encouraged to steal this idea from Dig This Chick because she is awesome blossom. 

 Yup cutting it soo close and eyes sliding shut every time I pause to put a  thought together.  It's not that I have so much to say tonight or that the little I have to say is so mind blowing it can't wait.  But the the baby is asleep, the tweenager's homework is done and the teenager doesn't have any.  It's rare I have a moment like this at 9:45pm, no one tugging at my arm needing something.   

This precious free hour or two has many "have tos" competing for priority.   I could do a couple loads of laundry. Or clean the slobbery Calvin faces off my glass front doors.  I could pack for our trip this weekend or clip the dog's nails.  Or finally put away the clean clothes laying around my bedroom.

As it is, the only other thing I almost did, was go over to the couch to cuddle with Annika while she watches one of my favorites...Big Fish.  If you've not seen this movie, please try to.  If you have parents, or loved the stories your grandparents told you, or love the story of your own life...love this movie.  It's one of my favorites.

In the last 12 months, in the midst of life changing loss and oh so many moments to reflect on what I was supposed to learn from it, I made the very deliberate decision to stop doing tasks when life gave surprise "free time".  I have stopped killing those fleeting moments with pointless chores, focusing instead on filling those bits of time with life.  Sweet, peaceful, lovely life.

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late night mcnuggets

I got behind camera this weekend to spend a few hours with the most beautiful little family on their farm. I jumped at the chance to put on some boots and meander around their homestead at sunset. I felt a little rusty as I have not done a shoot in months, but inspired by the familiar sites and sounds of the country and the easy way this little family's love came through my camera.








I even got to take a bit of the farm home with me:)



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Hump day nuggets is losing the battle for this precious free time. My favorite scene is coming up...the one where everyone from the fantastical stories come to his funeral and his son suddenly knows his father. 


My husband is reading in bed, I'd be crazy not to snuggle in next to him and fall asleep listening to his deep voice tell me about what he is reading. I love my time here with words and photos. I could stay, and try, but...I'd rather go snuggle.


And...these are meant to simply be "nuggets":)


Good night.


XOXOXOXOXOXO

my salvation

Today, let's start with the music recommendation. For your peaceful reading pleasure I bring you...




I'm a lyrics girl and these, my friends, are some of the best.

"in your love...my salvation lies in your love"

My salvation may also lie in these baby toes.




And in watching my children grow and try difficult things on their own.


Like brushing his teeth.




Like being the bravest "new girl" I know and joining in...sticking it out...even if others haven't quite realized how fabulous you are yet.


But fabulous she is. The fab radiates from this one...my first baby.




And I know my salvation lies in this smile.


The chill in the air, the gathering of the last veggies and canning, the football, halftime shows and homecoming parades. The perfect outfit of a skirt, tights, soft leather boots, light jacket and a hand made scarf. Fall. We are right at the sweet beginning of it, the most divine days of the year. For the next 90ish days, I will refuse to hurry through these days. I will stretch them out and milk them for every single drop of autumn sunshine, every falling leaf.


I will take a zillion pictures of a zillion perfect moments because fall never fails to deliver them.

From Sept. 24 Blog

"When I am alone

When I've thrown off the weight of this crazy stone

When I've lost all care for the things I own

That's when I miss you, that's when I miss you, that's when I miss you

You who are my home

You who are my home

And here is what I know now

Here is what I know now

Goes like this

In your love, my salvation lies

in your love"

Happy Fall.  XOXOXOXO

hump day nuggets...SD style

hump day nuggets: little bits of the season in photos and words about the last week.  Encouraged to steal this idea from Dig This Chick because she is awesome blossom. 

I loooov "Hump Day Nuggets" over at Dig This Chick (grab more morning beverage and head over there...I'll wait) and was pretty thrilled when she tossed out the challenge to do our own nuggets.  Who doesn't love borrowing a great idea?  I would never...ever have done it had she not given the green light, it's too good an idea to attempt to float as my own.  

Plus, I'm a terrible thief.  Remember the shoplifting phase girls (some) go through in junior high?  I could never do it, instead I played the role of "look out" or the "distractor", but really I was playing the role of scaredy cat, chichen shit.  I'm okay with that:P

So, no stealing here, just using an awesome idea to break up the week and pop in without the need for a long post.  

Just some hump day huggets.

Remember before the move, when I was waxing poetic about change and Christmas present houses and walks with my mom?  And how the photos here would surely change and shape shift into...what?  I didn't know yet then.  Well I do now:)

Photo Nuggets:

A lot has changed since we moved.  Some good.  Like lots of safe neighborhood space and yard to run in.

Lots of reasons to wear Woody and Bullseye cowboy boots.



A large prairie style lawn for B to putz around in. So much better than the small, terraced city yard that requires cleets to scale the steep inclines.



Yep....a guy can sure stretch his legs out here.



And apparently a dog can too. This is an example of "bad change"...very bad change. Suddenly Baby Cal thinks he can sneak on our bed in the middle of the night. I totally busted him.



Bitter sweet change. It is no bueno that this picture is in the minority for the first time since The Nerd Herd blog was born:( It does make those less frequent redevous the most special trips ever, but now when Liam is in the car for more than a few blocks, he asks "Cecece?" It breaks my heart every time I have to tell him "not this trip baby".



There is family here though and we are all over the moon about getting to know them and mixing and mingling our families. There are no expectations of how our families should mix or that they need to embrace our craziness. No attempt to recreate the chemistry of our Minneapolis family, rather the thrill of growing new relationships organically and not knowing where our hearts will connect.  There is just palpable joy and the promise of whatever the future brings to all of us.


And for me, the constant reassurance that this move was the right thing to do.


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Liam is star struck by his new football heroes.

And my mom can't turn around without a grandbaby waiting to tuck in for a hug.



And we are taking those walks I dreamed of while packing up our city house in the stifling heat. Though in the interest of telling it like it is...recent walks haven't been the stuff of happy rainbow blogs.


Lots of sour faces from Lum. At 2, he is definately NOT a good walker. He only wants to run, or crash is trike into cars. Walks have become stressful.



Which equals sour faces from my baby girls.



But he thinks his new "pack pack" is the bomb baby.



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We are all loving the massive intake of football. Last weekend - 4 football games in less than 24 hours. Suddenly our wardrobes have changed as well.



And... speaking of wardrobes, an old high school friend held good on a FB promise to send a handmade gift to the first 5 posters to respond, but we had to promise to do the same.  And look what I got in the mail this week:



The high today is supposed to be 54 degrees. 54 DEGREES!!!!! Oh yeah, I will be debuting this beauty for sure!  And if you were one of my first 5...I promise my hand made gifts are in the works:) 


Happy Hump Day:)