Little Coffee Beans

seven things :: inside outside

A daily snapshot of inside meets outside.

Gratitude for the simple little things, and appreciating the sweet spots of life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

:: 93/365 This was a heck-of-a-hard day. That's the way they go sometimes, but I'm learning how to be more patient with her and myself. And I can't blame this one for her moods, recovering from an illness and learning how to use her words to express her feelings, it's heavy stuff. I get that.

 

:: 94/365 And then there are these kind of days... A few moments for my own reading, and enjoying porch time reading with the children.

 

:: 95/365 Our morning started off loud and a bit rough. Desperate to find The Chill, I grabbed her number puzzle and a Dada pen and some paper and suggested she do some tracing. I must say this was one of the best ideas I've had in a while. Happiness followed.

 

:: 96/365 Loving up this boy and our beautiful, rainy forest. Have I mentioned that I love living in these hills? Witnessing the forest waking up to spring completely overwhelms the senses in the most beautiful way.

 

:: 97/365 It was a happy day, inside and out.

 

:: 98/365 Hat tip to my hubs for all he does from DJing to seedling tending, and all the in-betweens.

 

:: 99/365 Ah, the chickens are keeping me occupied. All of us really. Being responsible for twelve animals feels like a big deal, and I really want to do right by them. And yes, we named our coop Fort Cocks. And it makes us laugh every time we say it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd love to know ~ what simple little things are you grateful for today?

 

seven things :: inside outside

A daily snapshot of inside meets outside.

Gratitude for the simple little things, and appreciating the sweet spots of life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

:: 86/365 Grasp

 

:: 87/365 Hope

 

:: 88/365 Trust

 

:: 89/365 Home

 

:: 90/365 Rest

 

:: 91/365 Love

 

:: 92/365 Light

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd love to know ~ what simple little things are you grateful for today?

 

 

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seven things :: inside outside

seven things :: inside outside

 

A daily snapshot of inside meets outside.

Gratitude for the simple little things, and appreciating the sweet spots of life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

:: 79/365 A morning visit to the local Montessori school. Overwhelmed with school decisions but grateful to have options. 

A visit from a winged friend while walking up, up, up the hills with my Mom.

 

:: 80/365 The two of us at work. 

 

:: 81/365 These two, on the go! The Tree is crawling, crawling all over the place, and the Flower, well there's no slowing her down.

 

:: 82/365 Loving everything about Spring! 

 

:: 83/365 Soon tomatoes, soon!

 

:: 84/365 A brief moment of mid-day solitude.

 

:: 85/365 Finished the Flower's birthday dress yesterday. 

Also looking for four leafed clovers. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd love to know ~ what simple little things are you grateful for today?

 

 

seven things :: inside outside

A daily snapshot of inside meets outside.

Gratitude for the simple little things, and appreciating the sweet spots of life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

:: 72/365 Celebrating the return of our health with rainbows on the inside.

And swings.

 

:: 73/365 As long as she'll allow it, I will be making her birthday clothes. Her third birthday is just around the corner.

Finally, after years of wanting, I have forsythia in my yard. And tons of it!

 

:: 74/365 Loving these orchids from my Mom.

Also hoping this day brought the last of our winter ice.

 

:: 75/365 Some nights dinner literally comes together in 15 minutes. All that was required this night was the reheating of beets and chicken, and a quick pan saute of some asparagus. 

Plus the Flower, collecting "sparkly" rocks from the driveway.

 

:: 76/365 So you know the trick of putting a celery butt in water? I tried it. And look at all that new growth! 

And the girl, on top of the world, and sliding down with a muddy bottom.

 

:: 77/365 I love the Flower's art. She calls this collage "the Ocean". It now graces my niece's fridge.

The outside temps are rising. The Tree has been struggling with teething, but as soon as we walk into the forest he calms down and relaxes. Me too.

 

:: 78/365 Bring the spring inside. We keep our collection of bird, tree and wildflower books handy, there's so much newness to learn about in our new home state.

The afternoons always brings outside play, and like the rest of us, this one comes alive in the forest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd love to know ~ what simple little things are you grateful for today?

 

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seven things :: inside outside

metamorphosis in the family room

seven things :: inside outside

A daily snapshot of inside meets outside.

Gratitude for the simple little things, and appreciating the sweet spots of life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

:: 65/365 Baby chicks, and afternoon popcorn (on the swing) with my girl.

 

:: 66/365 Celebrating the Vernal Equinox!

 

:: 67/375 Loving my canned pantry, and seeing the Man at play.

 

:: 68/365 New discoveries are a daily thing around here.

 

:: 69/365 A few quiet moments alone, and a baby sandwich.

 

:: 70/365 Visiting friends.

 

:: 71/365 A little girl, on the mend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd love to know ~ what simple little things are you grateful for today?

 

seven things :: inside outside

A daily snapshot of inside meets outside.

Gratitude for the simple little things, and appreciating the sweet spots of life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

:: 58/365 On this day I walked up, up, up the neighborhood hill, pushing Z in the BOB with L on my back. Holy-heck of a workout! And oh, that view at the top.

And this girl with her watercolors, my goodness. My approach has been to just let her have at it with these paints. I do my best to not interfere, or instruct. She's all about the process, and often when she's finished I'll ask her what she made. This day her reply was, "the ocean".

(Oops, I've got my my inside/outside flipped today.)

 

:: 59/365 Mushrooms are not my favorite food, but I've been buying them lately because she loves to cut them into little pieces, which is perfect, because that's about the only way I eat my mushrooms - the smaller the better.

And these blue bottles are a rather silly collection. I'm not much of a collector of anything, but for some reason I've been holding onto these bottles for years. I think the one on the far left dates back to high school. I didn't even unpack them at the last two houses. Now they're collecting dust and sunbeams on my back porch.

 

:: 60/365 This was a good day. My girl and I both kept our cool. Here we are enjoying two of our favorite things: popcorn by the wood stove and an walk on the Tricky Trail. 

 

:: 61/365 This boy and his dark blue eyes. He's a charmer. If all the world could hear the combined laughter of he and his sister, I have no doubt that we'd have world peace.

 

:: 62/365 My favorite way to eat beets is roasted. Thinly slice, drizzle in olive oil add a dusting of sea salt on top (here, I used Hawaiian black salt) and cook at 425 for thirty minutes. I could eat a pan-full.

Also, a first wagon-ride for L. They both love it! 

 

:: 63/365 We're getting chicks! The spring-like weather has us feeling lighter and more optimistic about everything.

 

:: 64/365 Something has shifted with the Flower. The last three days she's been all "please" and "thank you" and "excuse me", without us reminding, or cuing her.  

The mini-adirondack chair reminds me of her second birthday, when she still had that little baby crease around her arms. And now,in less than a month she'll be three. 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'd love to know ~ what simple little things are you grateful for today?

 

seven things :: inside.outside

a daily snapshot of inside meets outside.

gratitude for the simple little things, and appreciating the sweet spots of life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

:: 51/365 art.

a field trip to the local museum. the children loved the light table, and check out those basketball grapevines draped over the building. a few hours here followed by lunch with my mom. yes, this was a good day.

 

:: 52/365 growth.

some of our tomato seedlings are over six inches tall! which i suppose means they've graduated from the seedling stage. this was a cold, blowing-snow kind of day, but we are on the final countdown to spring, aren't we?

 

:: 53/365 rest.

my neck, shoulders and back have been seriously wrecked for a few weeks (co sleeping, night nursing, baby wearing), and i'm so grateful to my mom for watching the kids while i ran out for a last minute massage. after a decade as a massage therapist, i'm quite picky when it comes to body workers, but my first visit confirmed that i have definitely found the cmt of my dreams.

 

:: 54/365 play.

the children and i had the most amazing morning at this park, and then we picked up dada from the airport. five days is a long time without him, and he was greatly missed. (painting at the airport titled "to life" by jonas gerard).

 

:: 55/365 flora.

this fabric, on this chair? i like it.

i'm beyond excited to see what gifts spring bestows on us, up here on the divide.  i recently found these shells of flowers from the tulip tree and i can't wait to see them in their full glory. 

 

:: 56/365 contentment.

oh, the days when they're both happy, content and well-rested, those are good days. very good days.

 

:: 57/365 beginnings.

so much newness at six months. he's scooting across the floor, tyring so earnestly to get up on his knees and exploring new tastes and textures. every day seems to bring a new horizon to reach for. i see him processing all of these new beginnings in his sleep: in the day time he's sleeping more, in the night he's sleeping lighter, and nursing all night long. 

and, those daffodils alongside my driveway, they are indeed the harbingers of spring.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i'd love to know ~ what simple little things are you grateful for today?

 

 

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seven things :: inside.outside

seven things :: inside.outside

a daily snapshot of inside meets outside.

gratitude for the simple little things, and appreciating the sweet spots of life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

:: 44/365. fire and ice. loving the warmth of the wood stove while it storms outside. and i must add how much i appreciate my man and all the work he puts into wood collecting, wood chopping and wood-what-not so that we all stay warm and cozy.

 

:: 45/365. the ice storm last week was one of the coolest winter experiences i've ever witnessed. fortunately it didn't do too much damage. the sun melted it all within a few hours so we were still able to make it out to eat at our favorite little pub.

 

:: 46/365. thursday is our library day. we love children's story time with our librarian lulu. a few weeks ago there was a special preschooler show with an asl interpreter present. it made me miss my work a little bit but, all in good time i'll be back at it, with my hands in the air. 

our peace pole was uprooted when we moved a few months ago. soon it will once again be planted in the middle of our vegetable garden. until then, it rests out the back door, reminding us to pause.

 

::47/365. desert souvenirs. living in colorado, spring (often autumn, too) was the time to make our annual trip to the desert. we have plenty of rocks and books and photographs to quench our thirst for that desert landscape that we so love, but i suppose we'll still miss that easy access a bit. now, the ocean waits for us, an easy four hour drive ... 

that huge rock was pried out of a desert wash one sunny weekend many years back. my honey carried it the long trek back to the van. it too, will soon be planted in our new garden.

 

:: 48/365. i love those moments during the day when my girl dives into creative play on her own. it's a time for both of us to breathe, separate of one another. 

and then, in the afternoons, we pack ourselves up to explore the forest, the creek and whatever suits our fancy.

 

:: 49/365. thankful for so, so  much. still, we could all use a sweet daily reminder. this hangs front and center on my mantel.

and wow! frozen silt in the creek bed. i remember seeing these ice crystals when i was a child. it's like the earth up, and sprouted quartz overnight. 

 

:: 50/365. the last time i posted his feet i was celebrating his frist tooth, and the first crocus of the season. now, we're celebrating his ability to sit up.

also, loving the color of my neighbor's crocuses. and, i just realized that we spring forward on sunday!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i'd love to know ~ what simple little things are you grateful for today?

 

 

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seven things :: inside/outside

seven things :: inside.outside

seven things :: inside.outside

a daily snapshot of inside meets outside.

gratitude for the simple little things, and appreciating the sweet spots of life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

:: 37/365. clean sheets and a fresh blanket of snow.

 

:: 38/365. this sweet boy.

 

:: 39/365. my girl is blowing my socks off with her drawings. this is a portrait of me, with ears, hair, eyes and legs, all where they should be.

watching her zip along to check out the tadpoles in her new "fast" shoes.

 

:: 40/365. a noontime bath, thanks to my mom who spent a few days with us last week.

the beauty of a mini ice storm.

 

:: 41/365. appreciating a day in the life of this girl. painting with nana.

and, helping dada with outside chores. 

 

:; 42/365. what a glorious sunday! 

 

:: 43/365. the sun is practically still out when we sit down to eat dinner (at 5:30 pm). glory be for the coming of spring!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i'd love to know ~ what simple little things are you grateful for today?

 

 

Related articles

seven things :: inside/outside

seven things :: inside/outside

seven things :: inside.outside

seven things :: inside.outside

a daily snapshot of inside meets outside.

gratitude for the simple little things, and appreciating the sweet spots of life.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

:: 30/365. blue and yellow. this boy is such a joy. he's the most patient among us, and i love seeing his personality as he reaches out more, and more. he's becoming as silly as the rest of us. we all love him so.

and, that backyard sky continues to delight me.

 

31/365. wool and maple buds. this green is quenching my thirst for something downright-cheery.

it's sad to see it go, but that maple tree was cut down last week. it was unhealthy and had been severely damaged in a storm some years back. it's always hard to see a tree come down though. the bright side is that it opens up a larger path of sunlight for our soon-to-be new vegetable garden, and the wood from the maple will be put to good use.

 

32/365. i love this book by blexbolex. this one belongs to the library, but i definitely need a copy for our home library. and, how about that pairing? love & stubborn. for better, or for worse, i don't think you can have one without the other. 

my driveway, like any good southern driveway, is lined with daffodils. they're all up, and about to pop!

 

33/365. my girl says this is a picture of me knitting a hat. i totally see it.

and, i love seeing my name in lights. neon, no less.

 

34/365. eighty-eight years separate her from them. that blows my mind. we had a short, but sweet visit with my grandparents. in my almost forty years as my memaw's granddaughter, i've never seen her wearing red nail polish (or, any nail polish, really). she remembers who i am, but maybe not that i visited her now that we've left. but my girl, who's named after her, loved reading with her great-grandmother, and this short visit was definitely worth the long drive.

the daffodils along my dad's driveway are already up, and in full bloom.

 

35/365. sowing mountains. upon arriving home, and having our mail (and two beers!) delivered by our neighbors, the girl set to the work of planting these seeds, that were mailed to her from our sweet bird friend in colorado.

the drive home was long, but scenic. i found myself immersed in the memories of my teenage years as we drove over familiar passes, and near forgotten hiking and camping spots. 

 

36/365. her busy hands. she loves, loves watercolors. but under no circumstances is that band-aid on her right finger to come off. it. must. not. come. off. got it?

oh, and we've spotted evidence of fairies in our backyard! "teeny-tiny-little-baby flowers, mama. and they're puh-pearl"

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

i'd love to know ~ what simple little things are you grateful for today?

 

 

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seven things :: inside/outside

seven things :: inside/outside

seven things :: inside.outside