Wednesdays With The Boys..He Not Heavy, He's My Brother

Here in New England we are experiencing one of the hottest summer that I can ever remember.  I don't dare to complain to much because we complain all winter about the cold and the snow so when summer hits, I just like to enjoy it and endure it, however I can.  One of the ways to do that is to go to the beach.  What better way to enjoy the beach than to take my two little guys along for the ride.

I was over at the Cafe this morning and this weeks lesson for BB is to go on a scavenger hunt and post some photo's of what we find. Since it was just yesterday that we were at the beach, and one of the photo's that Kim posted was of someone she loved, I thought I would do the same. I sure do love my boys and so another episode of Wednesday With the Boys came to mind...

Wednesdays is my favorite day of the week.  They boys come early and we always have breakfast together. Nana, Papa, Liam and now Jaxson joins us at the table..everyone eats something different, that's just how we roll around here on a Wednesday. After breakfast off to an adventure....every week.

When I was a small girl I lived 5 minutes from the beach.  Back in the day, I would pack myself a lunch, get an old sheet or blanket, grab my doll and head for the beach. My Mom worked and my Grandmother took care of us 4 kids.  She never asked when I would be back, I never had a life jacket, and lots of times I would go by myself and usually see whoever was there.   When I got bored or the tide was to far out, I would come home, safe and sound.

Yesterday when I told Liam that we were going to the beach he said "I'm excited Nana, I haven't been to the beach in a long time".  Didn't take much to get him moving and he even helped with the packing.  While him and Papa were in the shed getting soooo many beach toys, I was making the lunch..again, something different for everyone.  As I was making the lunch I was reminded of my childhood days and how much I loved the summer and the sea.  It was always a wonderful day and still brings back lovely memories.  I'm always hoping to make those memories for my Grandkids..

Time to load up the car and I have to tell you,  when I went to the beach, I walked.  I had to carry whatever it was I was taking.  No cooler back then, brown paper bag.  No sand chair, maybe a towel if I could sneak it out of the house.  No life jacket, no blanket to speak of and no phone, and no change of clothes..you wore your bathing suit down and you wore it back.  When I got done packing yesterday the back of my car was jammed, we even had a sled in there for Jaxson...he eats the sand, so I was going to keep him off of it, and it worked for the most part....

It was a beautiful, sunny day, warm.  The kind of day that begs being outside.  The kind of day that says, stay in the moment and enjoy.  No reading, no napping, just playing with my boys.  It was easy to see that they loved it also.  Oh I take back the napping part, Jaxson fell asleep on the way over and anyone who knows Jaxson is aware if he falls asleep...leave him alone. Liam, on the other hand, is roaring to go, in a hundred directions all at once.  He keeps Papa on his toes all the time.  So they commenced with castle building, trying to catch little fish in Liam's net.  They swam and found a frog and dug big holes.   Then when Jaxson woke up and had a snack, Liam and Papa took him in the water in his sled around the waters edge.   Then Liam decided to pull him in the sand.  Jaxson, in all his naked baby beauty, held onto the sides and enjoyed every moment, laughing at this brother and his Papa...and yes a few times, when I took him in the water and we sat to play, he did get some sand for dessert...

Life is what we make it some days..you need to find the joy and go after it.   These boys will be grown up faster than the sand drifting in and out on the tide.  I know this because I know how fast my own kids grew up.  All that we can give them is wonderful and lasting memories of their childhood.  Summer is for fun, especially for kids.   It should be full of beach trips, sand digging, building castles and yes, tons and tons of ice cream at the end of the day.  Running outside, enjoying nature, finding and losing your favorite frog all in a matter of a minute.  Naked babies and bounding boys...that's what summer was for me yesterday..and I loved every moment of it.   Yes, I'm hoping to be building special memories for Liam and jaxson...but guess what, I'm building them for myself also and in the process I get to live in the memories of my own childhood and in the memories of summer fun with my kids.   I am blessed to have these two boys not 5 minutes from my house and to also have them every Wednesday...Wednesday with the Boys is the Best.

So that's how my scavenger hunt started...I started with "someone you love"...and I promise during the rest of the week I'll go out and hopefully find some other great treasures..but If I don't, the Treasures I found yesterday will last me a life time.

Furry Friends

Here comes Gracie...this is how she rolls...fun of energy and flying ears. What a treasure she is.  Those who know us, know that we rescued Gracie, but more importantly she rescued us.   She came with the name of Gigi..but really, look at her, does she look like a Gigi to you.  Not to me...to me we found her by the Grace of God and goodness and so she is Gracie..

So this week in BB we had to shoot our Furry Friends...and I could have chosen lots of furry friends but why stress out over this when I have the best furry friend living with me.  She is smart, loves to play ball and is so sweet and cuddly I could not begin to go looking for any other fur...

Gracie is a dog for all seasons...she might be little at 6 pounds but she doesn't know that...she thinks she can run with the big boys and I say, more power to her. In the summer she loves the boat...and the wind running through her ears..her favorite spot is on the very back bench where she can see any ducks or loons that might float by...and if they do, she gives them a few barks...to say hello.

In the winter Gracie loves going walking with her Dad every morning...sometimes they go to the park here at home or if we are in Maine...she just grabs her pink polar fleece and heads out to the woods there...and when she comes home from walking she does yoga with me...now that's a cool dog.. 

Yes Gracie loves all kind of outdoor activities but being a girl, she also does not mind being pampered.  So as you can see, she has wonderful spots for napping and primping...the luxury of a down comforter and a pillow that speaks of a good life...but then, these are things that all girls deserve but especially those that have been rescued or those who rescue themselves...

Oh, and don't be afraid to every once in awhile throw yourself a good party.  Gracie loves to have her cousin Riley over for treats and they always wear their party hats...Oh come on, you know you all love a good party...now get your good party pants out before it's to late to wear them.  Remember good friends are hard to come by so when you find one, love the fur off of them buy giving them big hugs and lots of love...

Final words from Gracie...always remember at the end of the day to bow down and give thanks for all the treats in your life...Gracie knows life isn't easy but she also knows that it can get better and that now that she has a forever home...she is so grateful...and everyday at 4 p.m. when we have tea together...well I have tea, she has a dog bone...we know that we were brought together for a reason..Furry Friends Forever...

Simple Things

Simple things..and a simple post.  I love simple things, neat and orderly. Because I love it does not always mean that's the way it is...but in some parts of my house I can achieve this. One place is my downstairs bathroom.

A few years ago my son did the entire room over, start to finish, just like this lesson.  Walls went out, bead board came in.  New everything, and best of all white with a bit of grey.  I just love this space.  I found a big porcelain white sink, with hugh chunky legs.  Awesome.  On the sink I keep this favorite photo of my daughter from our trip to London, my favorite hand cream and always a little flower of some sort.  The floor is white tile with just a speck of light grey running through it and all the photo's are my own, done in black and white.

It is a small space but it is a space that I love...just to go in and look at...and while I'm there, perhaps a bit of hand lotion just for the smell of it.

Happy Weekend...enjoy your own special things...

Bob and Stellar

It's not often that two birthday's, of importance, collide in the same year. That is what is happening for me today and so I must recognize both because they are so uniquely and lovingly connected...

The above photo is very old...as a matter of fact it is probably 60 years old...that birthday boy is my brother Bob and of course, that girl is me...we are sitting very close..because growing up we were very close...I am only 18 months older than him and my older brother was only 13 months older than me...we spent a lot of time together..

Today is Bob's 65 birthday...a milestone some would say, except Bob is not here to celebrate...When he was a bit over 50 he died from cancer...it was the single most devastating event I have ever experienced. It took me many months, maybe years to wrap my head around the fact that my "little brother"...left, not because he wanted to, but because he had to..

As we grew..like any other family, changes happened and we both lived in different states so we didn't see as much of each other as we did growing up...but we were never really far off either. Holidays, special events, we always connected as a family.  I never dreamed that he someday wouldn't be here.  That is not the order of life.  The young don't go first...but in my family that fairytale vanished on a January day in 2000.

Over the years Bob became a big collector of things...I did the same.  Maybe it came from not having much when we were kids, I'm not sure. One of the things that he loved was antique cars.  He had several beauties and took very good care of them. He also knew how to pick a good one.  When I was 17 years old, I got my first real car.   I had a junk to start with.  It didn't even have a break pedal, just a stick coming up from the floor, so when I got my "new car", only two years old, with brakes and so much more I was in heaven.   My Mother never drove and never had a driver's license so it was a bit hard to convince her that I should own this car.  My brother's came to my rescue and assured her that I was quite capable of taking care of the car but more importantly, that I could pay for the car.   So she co-signed for me on a loan.  She always said she owned 4 cars..(between all us 4 kids) but she could never get a ride anywhere...that still makes me laugh.  The car I got that day, that I loved with all my heart, was a Ford Falcon Future Convertible.  Today that car celebrates is 50th anniversary...The Ford Falcon was born in 1963.  I kept that car in perfect condition for 10 years before moving on...but oh how I enjoyed my time with her.

In the fall of 1999, I got a phone call from Bob..by this time he was really failing but still fighting.  He was so excited when I answered the phone.  "You have to come to New Hampshire as soon as you can."  I have found something for you and you are going to love it.  One thing I forgot to tell you about Bob, he was a master of joking and lots of time plain trouble. Many a time he drove me nuts and I'd shake my head at his antics, but this time, he sounded serious.  So off I went.  We met him in some crazy run-down yard, in the back woods, and there he was, with the biggest smile on his face.  That smile filled the space between us as I stared at a bright red, 1963 Ford Falcon Futura convertible.  Can you imagine he found my car...again. And although it was a bit pricey for us at the time, I have never, for one moment, regretted buying her.

Meet Stellar...the last gift my brother ever gave me.  Stellar is a beauty.  I have had her done over and buffed up.  She is beautiful and smooth, a real Chick car.   My original was black but I love the red so much more..hot, hot, hot.   My brother would be so proud of how well I've taken care of her.   I am so proud of this gift. Everytime I go riding in Stellar, Bob is with me.  If every bolt fell of this car, I would put them in a bucket and save them, knowing Bob found them..for me.   All gifts are lovely, some have more meaning than others but then there is the gift that comes with pain and sacrifice and a genuine heart because the person knows how much pleasure that gift will bring to the receiver.   Bob knew this and in his last months he found a lasting gift that I will hold closely and take care of.  Really, though I love the car, it's not about the car. The car is a symbol of all that a life accumulates and then what you give in the symbol is your time, your effort, your knowledge of another person and your love.   That what Stellar is, she is the love of a brother and sister.   She is what is tangible when he is not...and she is Powerful.

So today I wish them both HAPPY BIRTHDAY...and I celebrate their time here with me.   I wil continue to drive Stellar in joy and with the music loud...and remember always when I was a CHICK...and how I loved that wind in my hair...thanks Bob...you keep me forever young.

"Life is short...so don't grow anything but love".

"Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero."  Marc Brown

A Reflective Moment

A quiet, reflective moment.  I don't have many moments like this but when I do,  tea is my buddy... Sometimes,  when things don't feel right it is good to just sit and sort.   That's what I was doing this day..Normally I would not post a photo of myself like this and I'm really surprised I even took it...but today's lesson in B2D24 was to take a self-portrait or use one we already had and to show the emotion in a dramatic black and white.

This is what I found in my Lightroom stock pile.  I'm not a big fan of self-portraits and I do find them rather difficult to do but I'm always willing to try to get the lesson done.   The black and white had to be a recipe and not just a conversion from RGB. I processed it in Lightroom and then took it into Photoshop for the text...

Funny about things we are sometimes afraid to try...when we do it, when we put the effort in, the results can sometimes be a surprise, and a bit freeing. We all have many emotions and why not share a different side of ourselves. I stretched for this one and in the end, I rather like it..this is how I feel sometimes and this is what it looks like...not so bad..

“When the color's taken out of your world, and all you see is black and white, is that what's left? The absence of color, of everything near and dear to you? Or is it the essence of your very being, the truest representation of yourself?” 
― Emily Dana