someplace serendipitous

I want to say a heartfelt thank you to each of you lovely souls who left comments on my Wild about flowers post.  I was amazed at all of the gorgeous descriptions of your favorite flowers.  It was such a delight to read about the cherished memories that flowers evoke for each of you.  I was even reminded of some flowers that I had forgotten about, like forget-me-nots!  And snapdragons, which my mom used to make “talk” for me.  Fuschia is another flower that was mentioned, and it brought back memories of the plant my fourth grade teacher had hanging in our classroom!  There were so many dear moments shared in the comments.  Memories of mothers and grandmothers, of picking irises and blackberries.  I hope you’ll take a moment to read through them if you can!  I appreciated everything you shared and responded to each of you.  If you didn’t subscribe to follow-up comments, then please click on that post and scroll down to find my replies!

Oh how I wish I could send a copy of Bella Grace to everyone who commented.  I truly do.  Your love of flowers has inspired me to spend more time here on my personal blog.  I tend to be so busy with other projects and family life that I don’t come here as often as I plan.  But knowing there are so many of you out there who love the magical beauty of nature inspires me to bring more to this space of mine.  So stay tuned for more goodness!

And now for the giveaway winner!  (Sorry it took me until the wee hours to get this posted!  I was making sure I had responded to all of your comments first!)  My daughter is always my helper when it comes to giveaways.  I write each name on a piece of paper and usually she picks one out of a jar.  This time there were so many names that I had to put them in a big colander!  She chose the winner: Bonita Rose!  Quite appropriate considering that the post was about flowers!  I’ll be sending you an email shortly to get your mailing address, so please check your inbox for a note from someplaceserendipitous{at}gmail{dot}com!  

In the meantime, I’m wishing you each a day full of summer magic and light that dances on flower petals.  Remember to keep checking the Stampington blog for more chances to win a copy of Bella Grace!  Xoxo.

It’s such an honor for me to be featured in Stampington’s amazing new publication, Bella Grace.  As the cover says, “Life’s a Beautiful Adventure.”  I believe that with all of my heart.  At the same time, I must admit that life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows at my house.  There are toys strewn about and plenty of tantrums.  My husband and I are often worn thin by the stresses and messes of having two small children.  I’ve been pregnant or nursing for the better part of four years.  My thoughts tend to get muddled with hormones and lack of sleep.  So when tempers flare and tears flow, I know I need a bit of quiet time outside amongst the flowers. 

Flowers have always been comforting to me.  Magical, even.  As a child I loved gathering bouquets of daffodils for my mother, weaving my way through the wet woods in tiny rubber boots.  As much as I love picked flowers (my husband is the best at gathering wildflower bouquets!), I especially love flowers when they are out in the wild, roots deep in the ground and petals blowing in the breeze. They connect me to a place of wonder and happiness, centering me and reminding me of all that is amazing on this earth. 

I love beds of zinnias, with pops of sweet color everywhere.  They’re like floral confetti to me, and such lovely symbols of friendship.

Buttercups do something special to my spirit.  They bring hope and cheer after a long, cold winter.  I’ll always remember the day I frolicked in this little field of buttercups while my daughter giggled in the stroller just a few feet away.  It was a return to joy for me on multiple levels.

Poppies remind me of Greece, where they pop up from rocky soil.  I smiled every time I saw them, often going for walks by myself and watching them flicker in the wind.  A photograph of poppies I took there and sold online led my husband to me, so they’ll always hold a special place in my heart.

Sitting amongst the flowers is dreamy, I think.  It’s something I hope everyone takes the time to do someday.  I came upon this sight just a few days ago, at a local flower farm.  It was a serendipitous find, just when I needed some flower therapy.  There were bees buzzing, crickets chirping, and a sense of softness in the afternoon air. 

These petunias hang in our gazebo out back.  I just love the velvety feel of the blossoms, and the fact that they attract hummindbirds.  Nurturing nature is something that my husband and I believe in strongly, especially when it comes to teaching our little ones.

Flowers remind me to listen, too.  I often need to get out of my own head, where there are just too many thoughts whizzing around.  I pulled over to take this photo of sunflowers outside a restaurant in a neighboring town.  The flash of yellow as I was driving by called to me.  I’m so glad I happened to have my camera in the car! 

Queen Anne’s lace will always be my wildflower link to my mom.  It reminds me to allow the light in.  When I miss her, I look to the meadow.  I remember how she taught me to find the little purple flower in the center of Queen Anne’s lace.  Often it seems like a tiny heart to me.  Deep down, I know that love is a big part of this adventure we’re all on.  A few quiet moments with the flowers work wonders to help me listen to my heart.  That’s where I know truth from fiction.

How about you?  Tell me about your favorite flower.  Lavender?  Violets?  Cosmos?  Daisies?  I love them all!  Do you have a childhood memory that comes rushing back when you see a certain flower?  Or is it the sweet smell of a bouquet that melts your heart?  Leave a comment here and tell me all about it.  By doing so, you’ll be entered in a random drawing to win a copy of the inaugural issue of Bella Grace!  I’ll be adding a few flowery goodies in the package, too!  Comments will remain open until Sunday, August 10, 2014 at noon Eastern time.  I’ll announce the winner in a new post here that day!  Feel free to subscribe to posts (scroll down to the footer) so you don’t miss out.  And guess what?!  The goodness is going to last all month long!  Be sure to check back at Stampington each day to unlock the link to the next entry on the Bella Grace Blog Hop.  There will be giveaways and entries from lots of lovely souls, including my fellow She is Three contributors!  Xoxo, Jennifer

 

It is a delight to reveal that my photo has been chosen for the cover of Kindred Magazine’s Spring 2014 issue! I found out last week on my daughter’s third birthday. Even more special is the fact that my daughter was in the stroller just a few feet away from me the day I took this photo. Spring had arrived, the buttercups were blooming and I remember the joy of hearing her giggle at me frolicking in the field.

Rebirth is the theme of Issue 6, with writing and photography by these contributors. Copies can be pre-ordered through Anchor & Plume Press.

I’ve been away again. Somehow I always end up wandering off from this personal space of mine. I suppose that’s what mamas do from time to time. Life is happening so fast. Most days I’m simply keeping up…and yet there’s no keeping up with an infant and a toddler. They’re growing and changing quicker than I can fathom. Almost every night I fall asleep with a mental list of family moments to remember, emails to answer, bills to pay, photos to upload and ideas to write down. But sleep inevitably takes me. As it should at this stage. I’m learning to let motherhood guide my course. I’m taking note of the now as best I can.

Though I should be sleeping, I can’t let January end without writing here just once. I had planned to post on the twenty-eighth, in honor of my mom’s birthday. Her birthday has a way of bringing me back here…back to the creative part of myself. It’s something I know she understood. She would have been seventy-two this year. Hard to imagine since she always seemed so young. In my mind, she hovers somewhere around forty, and yet I’m forty now.

My plan to post on the twenty-eighth was sidetracked, but for good reason. This week my daughter came down with a cold. “Mommy, I want you to make me feel better,” she said. Her little voice took me back to my own childhood, back to a time when my mom could make everything better. When I felt sick, a cup of ginger ale and the twinkle in her eye worked wonders somehow. Now I’m the mommy. I keep having to remind myself of that. So often I feel like I’m doing it wrong. I feel like I’m not capable of being as good a mommy as my mom was, probably because part of me is still a little girl inside. But I’m here, and I’m doing it. I helped my daughter put on her leotard with the pink skirt and her fuzzy polka-dotted slippers and we sat on the kitchen floor eating graham crackers together. Her nose was still stuffy afterwards, but on some level I know she felt better. So did I.

Oh my, it’s been a while again.  The last time I posted here, I didn’t even know that we are having a boy this time.  Yes, a boy!  At first I was surprised and speechless.  Now I’m so amazed and excited that I wonder how I’ll ever wait three more months to meet him.  The time is flying, though, it really is.  It’s been a very hot and busy summer here.  One thing that I can always count on, even in this heat, is a nice morning walk.  (This week’s prompt was perfect!)  The wildflowers along the way never cease to inspire me.  Here is a little glimpse…

Big things are happening today.  This morning we’re headed out for our 20-week anatomical ultrasound.  Soon we’ll know if Tiny Baby is a boy or a girl, and our two-year-old will learn if a baby brother or sister is coming to join her.  In some ways it feels like I’ve been waiting forever to find out.  In other ways, I can hardly believe the time has come already.  Sometimes it still amazes me that we’ll be a family of four in October.  Above all, we just want the baby to be healthy.  After our appointment, we’re heading straight to our favorite Thai restaurant for some celebratory vegetarian pad thai!

I actually managed to play along at 52 Photos Project this week (yay!), where the prompt was water drops.  The weather here has been very timely. We’ve had a whole lot of rain, and I went on some wet but very refreshing nature walks. It’s pouring right now, in fact.  On Friday I stopped to admire and photograph these wildflowers along the side of the road. It felt so good to simply be in the moment and absorb their beauty. When I went back through my photos that afternoon, I realized that the reflections of clouds and branches from above made this tiny rain drop resemble the world. Somehow that reminded me to try and keep life simple, rather than overcomplicate it as I tend to do…

Hello friends, it’s been a long while.  I suppose I was stuck under those dark skies I posted about the last time I was here.  Somehow it’s mid-May already.  Well, I haven’t been absent altogether…just a bit quiet here on my personal blog.  There has been a whole lot going on.  I shared some big news at She is Three, but never managed to write about it here!  We’re expecting our second baby in October!  I have been sick, sick, sick, but I think the worst is over now, thank goodness.  Even when life is difficult and uncomfortable, there are still so many things to celebrate.  Beautiful weather is here and I’m sharing the story behind my photo of the May triptych at She is Three today, where this month’s theme happens to be “She celebrated.” 

In other news, Makings of Motherhood is growing into a lovely community of women.  In April, we reflected on the concept of self-care.  That was a hard post for me to write, by the way.  This month we’re sharing our childrens’ experiences with food.  I’m very proud to be in charge of two collaborative blogs with such creative women.  By all means, do come visit us.  I have trouble keeping up with blogs unless I am able to subscribe to them, so there is an option to subscribe to posts via email on both sites (as well as this one)!

I’m feeling under the weather in more ways than one, and I was really looking forward to turning the calendar page today. Making it to March seems like spring is just around the corner, or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. The weather has been so dreary, and I’m itching for some fresh air! I took this photo in mid-February, when the sky was awfully dark and foreboding. Surely March will have some brighter skies in store. Today looked like another February day, but I’m hoping the weather will take a turn for the better soon!

Two years ago today, we welcomed our baby girl into this world…and now Baby V isn’t a baby anymore!  She’s a sweet and polite little toddler who loves books, dresses, shoes and accessories.  There are many delightful details that I want to remember about today.  One is the fact that the sun shone ever so brightly, breaking our stretch of gloomy weather. V had the loveliest time admiring these ballerina decorations I put up for her party, exclaiming, “Pretty ballerina! Pretty ballerina!”  She even helped me bake one of the batches of vegan orange cupcakes (which were a big hit, by the way!).  Dada cooked a delicious vegetarian dinner which included some of her favorites: chick peas, olives, tomatoes, pasta, and a tiny loaf of bread that they made together.  Our guests have since headed home and I’m ready for bed, but I didn’t want to fall asleep without this one last chance to celebrate V’s birthday.  She is the best gift we’ve ever received.