Baby girl quilt

This quilt has been sitting unfinished in a cupboard for 8 months. My friend had a baby shower this weekend so it was time to finish it, and I’m happy with the final result. Lots of handwork went into this one.

Small space, big heart

My friend P. moved away this year and I finally made it across the valley to visit her with another friend. There are many things I love about P., and one of them is how fully she celebrates holidays. Her small space was decorated for Halloween and she was wearing Halloween socks and a cute sweatshirt. For lots of reasons, my heart ached when we said goodbye.

Sweet Happy MOM♥️

The beads of my friendship bracelet from Mark

Is there anything more affirming than a friendship bracelet with your name on it?

Mark made this friendship bracelet for me when he was five years old, I am sure with help from Paige. I have worn it through the years when I need a reminder of who I am or when I need courage. I have hidden it within a pocket when facing personal challenges, and it broke last month inside my pocket.

I can fix it, and I am grateful it wasn’t lost. The loose beads remind me how different it looks to be a mother now, and how this year, in particular, has felt like a scattering of all known things. I will fix the bracelet and keep it as it was, but this experience also reminds me that when something breaks, it’s an opportunity to fit in some new letters.

G A – M A

W R I T E R

D I S C I P L E

H O S T

W H O L E

Tim & Richard and the big game

These two are a set each football season, usually in our living room. Tim got tickets from work to the BYU v Utah game last weekend and invited Richard.

Richard sent me this photo and said to notice the prominent Provo Rock Canyon temple under construction above the stands.

I know football pretty well. I hear the games and the podcasts and analysis, but it’s usually while I do some hand sewing or reading. I didn’t watch at home, but monitored the score to know how happy or disappointed Richard would be, and I smiled when BYU won.

Dolphins

I forgot to post the dolphins. It is hard to see them at first (so just enjoy the ocean sounds), but I zoom in towards the end.

The first two mornings of our trip we saw dolphins. I believed I would see them again and didn’t try very hard to capture them with video. There’s our life lesson for the day, don’t take any moment for granted.

Florida

(He is saying “Ga-pa” for Grandpa)

Paige’s family drove down from their home in Alabama to meet us in Florida just a few days after Tim and Queenie’s wedding.

I was so stretched before this trip that I did some research about what a person needs in order to reset. I liked this list of three things,

  • Brown noise/low stimulation ✓ 🌊
  • Movement, not heavy exercise ✓ 🩴
  • Activities that don’t need to be done perfectly, such as play. ✓ 🏖️🐚🐟