Thank goodness the weekend is almost here!
I worked my patootie off yesterday and made great headway on getting our belongings put away. The clothing has been moved, the toys have been corralled, streamlined, organized and put away (the floor is visible again!!!!) and I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. Let me tell you, it feels good. I was convinced that I should prepare for a life spent with an unmanageable mess, that I should look into pills or a lobotomy perhaps. But, crisis averted. All it took was a lot of work, sweating, a few grouchy moments and a real stubborn streak to not to stop until it was done. Mostly done, I guess. We still have painting to do and, my favorite, the decor detail work. Although, right now, I’m really enjoying bare walls, bare shelves and surfaces. Maybe I’ll just leave it like that. It feels so clean.
Also, my creative space is still in shambles. Bags, boxes, piles of priceless supplies. Haha! I will finally get to work on that today and this weekend. I’m anxious to do something creative!
We are settling in to the new arrangements and I like it.
On with the photos. I post these not only to share about what we’ve been up to but also to keep record of our travels for ourselves. I love being able to look back on the adventures we’ve had.
Two weeks ago, we were in Iowa for the gallery show set-up and reception. The children and I were there the whole week and MJ joined us later in the week for the reception.
It was another wonderful visit. We always enjoy our time in Iowa. (1, 2, 3).
One highlight is taking in the gardens (with a big ‘S’) that my mom and PC cultivate. Numerous beds in their front, side and backyard, a ‘remote location’ garden filled with edibles and a couple of community plots. (I think they also tend to their church flowers, too.) They are obsessed. But their obsession is beautiful. It was time for the hydrangeas to be cut down and dried. Such simple beauty.
In their backyard, they have a metal frame ‘tower’ – as Bug calls it – that is covered in vines. (I photographed it last fall with its golden leaves.) I absolutely LOVE the tower and someday hope to have one in my yard. We made sure to take some time to enjoy a few fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies in it together.
The Bug and Nana.
Mom and PC are avid canners too. They kind of have to be with the amount of produce they grow. One day, they were doing one of their many versions of pickles. A lime pickle. Not the fruit lime, lime the compound. Aren’t they pretty?
The children sure enjoy themselves too. There is always so much to do, new things to try out.
Our trip coincided with the Olympics and one evening, we had a carpet picnic and watched the coverage. The making of the popcorn ended up being a huge highlight. Sweet J thought it was the coolest thing. You can’t really tell by my Instagram pic on the left but his face was priceless. You can follow me at amy_thisheartofmine.
Plus, he really took a liking to popcorn. He perfected a hands-free eating method.
Inspired by the Olympics, my mom made a ribbon-on-a-stick for Bug to dance with we watched the ribbon dancing competition. So much fun.
Here are a few more shots of our activities. Sweet J on the piano.
Digging for a snack.
Hamming it up after naptime.
And my little dancer. Love Bug fell in love with the ruffled dress and wore it a few days in a row. One morning, the light in my mom’s bedroom was dreamy. I shared an image from my mom’s Instagram here but snapped away with my camera as well.
The day before, I talked to Bug about laying out the dress while she sat so she tried to do it herself. Be still my momma heart.
As I said, the gardens, the greens and the flora, always intrigue me. Me and my black thumb live vicariously through Mom and PC. So, I headed out early on the last morning we were there. The light was lovely, as it is in the morning.
My favorite thing were these roses.
Delicate and stunning.
Their petals looked like they had been doused in glitter. Just amazing.
I could have taken so many more photos. I think I want to find a place to use the images in the house.
The time went so fast. We always want to accomplish more than we ever have time for. But thank goodness we stick with the important stuff. Thanks for having us Mom and PC.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Take care.
PS. I’m hoping to do a little work on the site this weekend so it might be down some or most of the time. Getting a little make-over. :)
