{pretty, happy, funny, real}

 ~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Pretty:

The back yard used to be a scary field of weeds. It's taken a lot of time and hard work, but this spring, the yard has been just beautiful - things are blooming, bees are buzzing, birds are fighting over the bird bath, and a happy boy is getting dirty in the sand box...

Diapers are pretty, right?! The clock is ticking - in four weeks (give or take), there'll be a baby in the house, using those diapers! Most of these are Noah's old diapers. I washed them and let them dry in & get whitened by the sun.

Happy:

He's waiting for his brother to move. <3

Our fig tree is making us little figs! I can't wait to eat them.

Noah drew a flower for the first time (his usual drawings are more abstract). Makes me smile.

My husband built me a pair of compost bins! I actually get excited about taking the kitchen scraps out now.

Funny:

We watched this bird for quite some time - he was playing with the bird in the mirror, and it was hilarious.

My friend and I had a reading date - I went to her house, the kids played together and we sat on the couch and read. She was finishing up Hunger Games, and I got started on Mockingjay. It was a more or less perfect arrangement - I think we got a solid hour of reading time in before the kids got antsy. (And of course we spent at least as long talking & catching up before we started reading. It had probably been a whole 20 hours since the last time we'd talked.)

This pretty much captures my life these days - a silly boy and a lopsided belly. And grass and sunshine and laughter.

At the park: I didn't believe him when he told me that "something" was coming out of that hole in the ground, but he was right - we watched a gopher for some time. It kept popping out of the hole and grabbing bunches of grass.

Real:

I'm happy to be pregnant, but I'm also looking forward to not being pregnant anymore soon. It'll be nice to be able to reach the sink again, and to turn over in bed without having to think through each motion. Not to mention snuggling a baby!

I've felt a compulsion to make food and freeze it over the last couple of days. Today, I made these rolls, and they are delicious. It took every ounce of my willpower to actually freeze them rather than just eat them all. The recipe is right here. It's Hunger Games inspired, which made me smile, but I mainly made it because all those seeds looked so appetizing.

My little seedlings. There's lots to be done before these can be planted, so they're motivational sprouts: they remind us to get the garden beds ready! (There's beans, honeydew melons, zucchini, cucumbers, kohlrabi, and butternut. Already outside (though not planted) are tomatoes, peppers, and herbs.)

Pretty, happy, funny, real is the brainchild of these ladies here, who are encouraging their reader to find contentment in the everyday perfection and imperfection of life.