lowering the bar

i find that one of my biggest challenges in life is setting the bar too high.
the trouble with this is that if it can't be perfect, i don't do it. like my blog for instance, i have been thinking about what would be the perfect post since my last post to eloquently reintegrate in to blogland. the perfect words have not come to mind. so, i have decided to take a swing at practicing lowering the bar and simply posting because "good enough" is sometimes good enough. so here it is. a simple post and some sweet pics of the most precious souls in my life.

small awakenings...

i'm not sure how i became so naive- or better yet, i am not sure how i remained so naive for so many of my years on this planet. the past 4 months have taken me to places i knew not existed inside of me. and while they are places i hope to never have to visit again, what i do know from having visited them, is a whole new level of compassion for myself, my family, for my friends, for perfect strangers. the realness of "you never really know what anyone is going through at any given time" in emblazoned in my heart. i hope it stays because i do believe it is allowing me to meet life with much more empathy and a more open heart. life is hard- it is that simple. and life is also beautiful and it too is that simple. 

as i find my way out of this darkness, i feel the great fortune of having two beautiful and healthy children, a supportive husband, a family that loves us all unconditionally, and a magnitude of friends near and far. and this, all of this, is more than i EVER could have hoped for. it surmounts any material possession, professional acclaim, or travel experience i could ever have. family & friends, now that is the good stuff. that is the real stuff. and in the end all you will ever take with you. so i am working on cultivating beautiful memories with the ones i love because as far as i can see all the rest pales in comparison.

and now, i will resume my blog on a much more frequent basis- this unexpected haitis lasted a bit too long.

grow your own...

as gas prices continue to soar even higher, subsequently increasing the cost of food, it becomes even more apparent that growing your own is the way to go. we have been combing our budget with the sustainability comb and are finding new ways where we can REDUCE. growing some of our own food is one of those ways. in our sweet little back yard garden we will enjoy this summer; broccoli, beans, carrots, beets, tomatoes, lettuces, jalapenos, cilantro, and a few other things i have forgotten. next on the agenda is learning to can food-- mormor, are you up for giving a lesson? my goal is to have our downstairs pantry and freezer full by the end of the fall. david says i am turning in to quite the survivalist. call it what you will- i call it smart.

more to follow in the coming weeks about the fredarillo home sustainability project.

graffiti

pilar has really taken to decorating the sidewalk these days! whenever she can get her hands on a piece of chalk she creates art all over the place.
here is a picture of the chickadees who have nested in our cherry tree!


and here is one of mateo and his great big belly.


and here is my favorite one she drew the other night in front of por que no, our favorite taqueria in town.


i hope she continues to love art as much as she does now. and i hope she continues to approach it so freely and without caution because her well runs deep within.

blessings

today we are counting our blessings that papa mick is where he is. while he is still in the i.c.u. he is making progress each hour. he is his regular wise-crack-self never missing an opportunity for a joke or pun and needless to say, seeing this gives david, his sisters and i a tremendous amount of hope. join us in keeping mick in your thoughts and blessings for a smooth and quick recovery.

sweet hunk-a-baby

the kids and i were at the grocery store the other day and the woman helping us bag up our stuff said "how old is that baby?" i replied "only 4.5 months!" and she responded with "ooooohhhh girl, that is one sweet hunk-a-baby!" and she is right. he's about the sweetest hunk-a-baby i've ever seen. and thank god for him and pilar and david- they are what keep me going right now while i ride the waves of this crazy hyper thyroid. as aunt jen says- it's no picnic. that's for sure. 

but i'll show you what is...

and thank goodness for noni too. she is back and forth between here and ashland making sure we have support when david is travelling. she got some good nap time in with the kids during her last visit.

someday i'll publish some more pics of pilar- that is if she ever allows me to take her picture again....ah, the age of 6...a blossoming streak of confidence reigns in that girl!

95% baby

mateo is growing at a steady rate! today he weighed in at 19 lbs. 7 oz. and is 26 and 3/4 inches long! holy mackerel, no wonder my back is killing me. here is a pic of the bug today. happy friday.