Little Coffee Beans

liebster award

Now this is fun! I was awarded the Liebster Blog Award by fellow blogging Mama, KC of Little Homestead In The Desert. Thanks for the virtual love, KC!

 The Liebster Blog Award is a bit mysterious. I can't find much about it from Googling it other than the information I've been able to glean from other bloggers who've won it and posted about it. 

Here's what I've found:  "The origins of the Liebster Blog award are somewhat unclear but the general consensus is that it originated in Germany, Liebster meaning favorite or dearest, to showcase bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. Upon accepting the award the recipient must then pass it on to [three to] five more blogs of note."

The basic idea is about spreading the love and the recipient(s) of the award are encouraged to:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award and link to their blog.
2. Choose 3-5 blogs with less than 200 followers and pass the award on to them.
3. Display the Liebster Award somewhere on your blog.

Sounds good to me!

Here are three blogs that I'm enjoying reading these days:

Journey Around the Son 

Jules is actually a dear friend of mine, here in Colorado. She shares stories of life with her partner Jenn and their son Avi. As she says, her blog is full of musings from a queer mama about all things random. I always enjoy her perspective, in person and in the blog-sphere.

The Coffee Cottage

Brook is Mama to two little girls and I've quickly learned that we share way more in common than just a last name. Her blog is refreshing, uplifting and full of gorgeous photos of life on the West coast (as well as some yummy looking recipes). I know that we'd be instant "real" friends if given the opportunity.

Who Matters

Kelly is a mom to two young boys, living in the heartland. She blogs about finding joy in the simple things in life and makes adorable crafts with her sons. I've enjoyed getting to know Kelly through her blog and I'm sure you will too.

Congratulations to these three Mamas! Now pass on blog-loving the goodness.

 

{de}connecting

Deconnecting for a few days to allow some time for this::

Happy Monday and see you soon!

 

family stories

Zinnia has four sets of Grandparents, plus one set of Great Grandparents spread out over three states. Add to that the fact that Steve's brother's family is in yet a different state, and my sister's family is in another country and you quickly realize that for us to stay connected to family it requires a lot of travel. And fair amount of time on Skype.

Colorado... Illinois... Connecticut... Georgia... Texas... Germany...  It actually kind of sucks. 

We long for loud Sunday dinners with cousins running wildly through the kitchen while Grandma laughs and pretends to mind the mess. We dream of sleepovers where Nana lets the kids stay in their pajamas all weekend and Poppy encourages them to build something with his tools and scrap lumber. We wish for afternoons spent in Grandaddy's "shop", revving engines and having beers while Grammie catches us up on all the gossip. And we'd love to be able to head over to Grandpa's house to help stack wood and eat Grandma's vegetable stew. And any time spent hearing Memaw and Grandpop's stories is a treasure.

We'd love to join Steve's brother for a hike with the kids or to just meet up for a spontaneous happy hour. And the idea of knitting with my sister, or having a picnic with her kids down by the creek, sounds like a great way to spend the afternoon. 

... Sigh...

If only we lived closer. If only they lived closer. 

The good news? My Dad (aka Dan-daa-dee) was just here for the weekend and his trip kicks off the family-visiting-season. We're heading into a Spring and Summer (and Fall, too now that I think about it) full of family visits and time spent in a crowded house sharing meals, chores, laughter and lots of "remember when..." stories. 

Ah, these stories are really hidden gems that will help Zinnia learn about Mama and Dada from the very people that know everything (well...ahem, mostly everything!) there is to know. And along the way, as our family gathers and grows we'll be creating new "remember when" stories, as well. These stories will also begin to form her story; the story of who she is in relation to her big spread-out-unconventionally-just-right-extended family. 

Yep, these are the stories worth staying up late for.

share the love

Three generations.

Together. Holding. Sharing. 

May the love that is in my heart pass from my hand to yours.

(Untitled blessing from the book A Grateful Heart, M.J. Ryan)

 

 

 

three years

Celebrating three years of marriage. Three years of ups and downs. Three years of fights and make-ups. Three years of joy, bliss, silliness and fun. Three years of stresses, injuries and recoveries. Three years of {extra}ordinary. Three years, though really more than five, joined as partners, lovers, best friends. Family.

I don't have a recipe for a happy marriage, but I know what works for us: the garden and the van. When life gets wacky, stressful or too darn crazed we either step out into the chard and sunflowers for a state of the union or we pack up the van and we're off. The garden relaxes and grounds us allowing us to process whatever struggle du jour. And that van, honestly, it doesn't matter where we go, but when we pull onto the highway we both sigh as every insignificant thing starts to fade away.

Raising our glasses to three.