monday monday

I worked very hard the past two days to prepare for our family gathering to honor mothers and all who nurture. It meant a lot of organizing, moving, planning, cooking, and arranging. Our house is tiny so it isn't easy to accommodate this many people comfortably. We got lucky, though, and the afternoon was beautiful.

The kids were great and got along so well. They loved the hammock swings that were in the porch, they pulled each other in the wagon, they ran around the yard, and they walked on the stepping stones in the garden. They always wanted to go in the garden and it didn't occur to me until now to make a place for them there. I'm going to extend the path to the other side, get a small bench and a couple kid-sized chair, and plant some flowers they can pick.

This is our usual group photo. It's always a surprise to see what kind of goofy stunt the boys in the back row are going to pull. Regis discourages it but I don't care. It's part of the tradition now.

Zoey and Elliot had a little tea party in the garden.

I got three bunches of roses...pink, red, and white. They are beautiful. I took this picture and of course, had the camera settings wrong so it's blurry. But I looked at it for a while and decided it's a perfect metaphor. A beautiful rose, a little blurry, and it's a process.

This is my first cairn. I tried to get the kids interested in balancing rocks but they didn't go for it. 

I'm going to take pictures of the garden today. I can't remember when it's looked so nice. You can almost see things grow...every time I look out the window, the hostas seem bigger. I told Regis that I will do some things today but I am not doing any of them fast. I'm tired of rushing. Slow and mindful...the theme of my day.

Make today blissful and peaceful. Breathe.