Simple Things Catch-Up

I have a number of projects I want to get caught up on, including my Simple Things photos. For the most part, I've continued taking the photos, but I need to collect all the weeks and write up my notes. I recently found these three Simple Things from the spring.

Simple Things 11

The early blooms of Spring. Hyacinths are among my favorite for their lovely fragrance and happy spring colors.

Simple Things 12

A bad photo, given the bedroom lighting and their constant movement in the midst of playing, but I love what this photo captures anyway -- taking it easy on a Sunday morning, with time for silly play together with their fuzzy pals. I loved watching them tumble and tackle on the bed while laughing at everything. A happy start to a Sunday morning.

Simple Things 13

 

Palm Sunday. Making simple palm crosses the way my Grandpa Joe taught me many years ago. Thinking about the story of Easter, the days of Holy Week ahead. Somehow between the palm crosses and his prediction that it always rains on Good Friday, I think about my Grandpa often during this week.

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Participating in "The Simple Things" with Rebecca Cooper at Simple as That.

Simple Things

I've fallen off track in collecting my weekly "Simple Things" photos, but I'm going to pick up and get back on track. I really like the idea of one photo telling a simple story from our week, and I think the collection of 52 photos at the end of the year will be a treasure.

So, here's my latest Simple Thing photo. Well, make that two photos. They are a before and after view, and I can't decide yet which one I want to select.

On Friday afternoon we invited a friend to our house for a play date. The boys were so excited, they had to wait outside to watch for his mom to drive up. Robby even made a welcome sign to hang on the front door.

 

I think it was a happy play date, judging by the number of toys strewn across the floor in the playroom and living room. 

Working full time, I don't often get to arrange play dates for the boys, but when we finally do plan one, it makes all of us very happy to spend some time with our friends.

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Participating in "The Simple Things" with Rebecca Cooper at Simple as That.

Simple Things 10

A simple pot of sauce on Sunday.

Whenever I make a pot of tomato sauce, particularly on a Sunday, I feel like my grandmother, my Nanny Gin, is near. She passed away 12 years ago, but when I make a pot of sauce, I feel a connection to her and to her traditions of loving her family and gathering them together for a delicious meal. This connection is made stronger by the fact that the table we gather around is the same table she had in her kitchen.

We enjoyed this sauce last Sunday over pasta, and ate by candlelight, just because. The sauce, the candlelight, the table, the meal -- all simple things made special.

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Participating in "The Simple Things" with Rebecca Cooper at Simple as That.

Simple Things 9

A Friday night dinner at the diner. This guy loves his "feast" at the diner -- scrambled eggs with cheese, bacon, toast, and home fries. He makes egg sandwiches with the toast, dips his bacon into the syrup, and picks at every last bit of egg on the plate. He lets me share the home fries, and will often give Joey a piece of bacon. A simple meal. A simple joy watching him enjoy it with such concentration.

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Participating in "The Simple Things" photographs on Rebecca Cooper's blog, Simple as That. 

Simple Things 8

I am still trying to narrow down my one Simple Thing for this week to one photo + story. So for now, I'm going to record both.

On Thursday, I had the day off with the boys and we had a morning playdate with one of their school friends to ride bikes at the beach. Incredibly, it was about 60 degrees in February in Connecticut. The boys were delighted to race around on their bikes again, and I enjoyed catching up with a mom friend.

On the way home, we got sandwiches from our favorite deli to eat at home. They had some ninja play, then we were off to another playdate at a playground with another school friend. Tired out, we stopped for smoothies, then watched the latest episode of Ninjago the three of us together on my bed. All in all, a pretty perfect day with my little guys.

On Saturday, while my little ninjas/jedis/knights were busy playing downstairs with Daddy, I got to enjoy some creative time upstairs in my craft room (aka my bedroom). Just nice to spend some quiet, crafty time alone.

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Participating in "The Simple Things" photographs on Rebecca Cooper's blog, Simple as That. 

Simple Things 7 | A Simple Saturday

We wanted to take advantage of the mild February day with a walk at the beach for the four of us. Our dog must have thought it was a good day for the beach too, since she insisted on getting into the car, much to the boys' delight.

 

Indy Pup is 10 years old and has diabetes, and in the past, has not always been the most obedient walker. But Saturday she was well-behaved and seemed to take delight in all there was to explore at the beach. So much so that we took her back on Sunday. You could tell she was happy, and as Joey said, she had "her smiley face on."

 

It was a good trip for all of us with simple things to enjoy -- climbing the rocks, throwing stones into the water, and drawing in the sand. 

Such a simple way to enjoy a Saturday for everyone, even Indy Pup.

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Participating in "The Simple Things" photographs on Rebecca Cooper's blog, Simple as That. 

Simple Things :: 6

A coffee at work is always a welcome simple pleasure during the day, but recently I have been enjoying the simple addition of cinnamon to my latte. Somehow a few sprinkles of that spice makes me stop and savor my latte all the more.

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 Participating in "The Simple Things" weekly photography series on Rebecca Cooper's blog, Simple as That.

Simple Things :: 5

While I was taking my oldest to school on Tuesday morning, he noticed the clouds were in an unusual striped pattern. I love when my boys happen to observe something different or interesting in their everyday surroundings -- that they too sometimes take a moment to recognize the "simple things."

I snapped this photo a little later on my way into my office. While I enjoyed noticing these unusual clouds too, for me, the photo captures the sweet recollection of Robby being the one who pointed them out to me.

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Participating in "The Simple Things" photographs on Rebecca Cooper's blog, Simple as That. 

Simple Things :: 4

My company moved to a new building in a new city (which is also my home) last month, and every day when I park in the garage, I see this building across the street.

It's some kind of artists' gallery or workspace. I love being greeted with that building-sized quote every day, and seeing it again on my way home. I like to sort of mull it over and think about the things I want to be creating -- memories, traditions, craft projects, stories, scrapbook pages, impressions -- to last beyond my lifetime. It reminds me to treasure the simple things in this all-too-short life. (It also makes me wish that more buildings painted inspiring quotes on their outside walls.)

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Participating in the "Simple Things" photographs on Rebecca Cooper's blog.

Simple Things :: 3

On Monday while my oldest worked on his "facts about lizards" project, I spruced up a little wreath for our front door. The small all-white berry wreath from Target was cute, but it didn't look quite right on our white front door and for that reason, it has moved around several locations in our home.

I added red berry sprigs to the white and switched the white ribbon out for a red one, and I finished my simple project before my son finished his lizard project. Such a simple change, but it has been a happy greeting every time I return home.

(You can see the original wreath here as it served as a hiding spot for our Christmas elf.)

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Participating in the "Simple Things" photographs on Rebecca Cooper's blog.

Simple Things :: 2

Play-doh and Batman tattoos -- the simple things that can make a little boy's day.

 Last week was a tough week at work, and I was wary of "Friday the 13th." But after spending the afternoon with my boys doing Play-doh, Lego Ninjas, and Batman tattoos, and my husband bringing take-out home for dinner, our Friday the 13th turned into a wonderfully fun family evening.

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Participating in the "Simple Things" photographs on Rebecca Cooper's blog.

Simple Things :: 1

My younger son started showing a greater interest in reading this week. After my older son completed his daily reading time, Joey was eager to demonstrate his abilities with Dr. Seuss' ABCs. I loved watching the two of them reading together -- this little moment makes me so happy. (A teary, over-tired meltdown erupted shortly after I took the photo, but that's all just part of the day.)

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Participating in the "Simple Things" photographs on Rebecca Cooper's blog.

 

Simple Things: A Beach Walk in December

Living in Connecticut, 50-degree weather in December is not the norm. So while we have been known to walk at the beach on colder days, it is definitely a simple pleasure to do so on such a mild December day. We drew pictures in the sand, listening to the waves and collected shells. The boys got to walk their grandfather's dog, Hailey, who also found much to enjoy about the outing.

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Participating in the "Simple Things" photographs on Rebecca Cooper's blog.

The Simple Things: Boys + Day Off + Imagination

Since the boys had Friday off for Veterans' Day, I worked from home and got to enjoy watching and listening to their pretend-play adventures. They took out the Tinker Toys and Robby made potions while Joey made "fire-blasting rockets." I love how their creations were unique to their interests, yet their play flowed freely into each other's worlds. There was some jumping on the couches. A few short-lived squabbles broke out. Then the couch cushions became a house, which they set about "furnishing." They ate a real snack there, but also cooked an imaginary feast for their stuffed animal pals and celebrated a birthday for one of the pals. Later the house became a store, where they sold art, writings and flutes. After lunch they played with Play Doh and then made leaf rubbings. We cut out the leaves and they pretended to be trees and tornadoes, throwing the leaves around the room and laughing with joy.

I love seeing them play together as the best of friends, using their imaginations to enjoy all sorts of adventures. The perfect simple pleasure for a once-in-a-century day.

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Check out more "Simple Things" photographs on Rebecca Cooper's blog.

The Simple Things: Boys + Rocks + Water = Simple Pleasure

I love Rebecca Cooper's idea to document the simple moments each week (see her blog, Simple as That) but have never tried it myself. So here's a start...

The boys and I enjoyed some time this morning at the beach. It was unseasonably warm -- nearly 80 degrees in October! We stopped at the playground, swung on the swings, spent a little time just throwing in rocks, and took a walk. Honestly, this simple activity of throwing rocks into the water could have entertained them for much longer -- next time I think I'll have a seat and just let them throw rocks as long as they like.