Bluebirdbaby

Happy 4th!

30 Days of Happiness: 30

30 days of happiness. 30 days of little things that make me smile. 30 days of pictures that will be a reminder of that happiness.
As I laid in the grass with this magnificent view, I reflected on the last 30 days. I have grown so much in the past month. I don't even know how to begin to write about it. There is so much beauty in the world, so much that can fill you with joy. It's endless. The green grass tickling my feet, ants crawling on my arms, wind blowing through my hair, trees dancing in the wind, sun shining on my face, doing cartwheels in an open field, a baby deer running circles around its mother, a bald eagle soaring high above, and myself: smiling and crying at all the beauty around me. It's all so wonderful and beautiful and amazing. And to think I can experience it everyday, because it's always around me and now I know how to find it. Spectacular.

"It's hard to stay mad when there's so much beauty in the world. Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much. My heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst ...

And then I remember ... to relax, and not try to hold on to it. And then it flows through me like rain. And I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupid little life." (Kevin Spacey, American Beauty)

Thank you for joining me on this journey of happiness. I'm excited to see where this space will take me next.

30 Days of Happiness: 29

Found this bear shaped rock yesterday along the river while Elisabeth was dipping her toes in the water.

"Bear is a symbol of wisdom. This animal reveals the interrelationship between the person within the environment of creation, personal truth within the clan and the universe. Bear helps people recognize personal truth and when to stand up for rights and when to walk away. To both European and Native American Shamanic people, this power animal or totem symbolizes awakening the strong force of the unconscious"

30 Days of Happiness: 28

Happiness is early morning flower picking in our garden.

Happiness is having friends over for some playsilk dyeing. We used this tutorial.

Happiness is dancing like there's nobody watching.

30 Days of Happiness: 27

One of my favorite times of the day is the preparation of dinner. As long as the little one is content and being entertained elsewhere, I love to make dinner. Last night was a pasta salad with lots of veggies and garlic (one can never have enough garlic...) and chicken on the grill. A glass of red wine is always something to be happy about too.

30 Days of Happiness: 26

Ever since I was a little girl I have been searching for an abandoned bird's nest. I used to look for them on hikes, in our backyard, at our camp on the lake, and at parks. But I never found one. Then yesterday while on a walk with a dear friend, we literally stumbled upon this perfect nest. It had fallen from above and lay on the ground, right in the middle of the path where we were walking. Fate? I think it may have something to do with it. It makes me very happy.

30 Days of Happiness: 25

Happiness is my new (to me) kayak. Just brought it home last week and had my first lesson this morning. It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to going out again soon!

Hope you're all enjoying the weekend!

30 Days of Happiness: 24

Happiness is licking the bowl after making brownies. The little one won't even share, so I get the spatula and she gets the beater and the bowl. Lucky girl. The brownies are going into some homemade ice cream tonight.

Happiness is a toddler-free night. The little one is headed down to her Baba's house so Stephen and I can go out to dinner, enjoy a movie without interruptions, and have my first kayaking lesson tomorrow morning. Not to mention a relaxing bath and a full night's rest. Hopefully the dark circles under my eyes will be a little lighter come tomorrow morning...

And happiness is this video and this video.

30 Days of Happiness: 23

Happiness is more sun, a play date with friends, cool water for swimming, and a sandy-bottomed toddler.

30 Days of Happiness: 22

"And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true."

30 Days of Happiness: 21

Happiness is a sunny day, a favorite dress, and a vintage Schwinn.

Happiness is a bit of sewing time and a new skirt for the shop, available tonight. (Thanks to Tiny Happy for the doily inspiration!)

Happiness is a special order on its way to Australia, and realizing that I need to make myself one too!

30 Days of Happiness: 20

I love food. I love food so much that it had to be included in my "30 Days of Happiness" because it makes me really happy. I've been through a lot of different dietary stages in my life, from vegan to vegetarian, to eating red meat weekly. I've been on a gluten-free diet for almost two years now and have realized that I can't even get near gluten without reacting. But I'm so happy with the food I can eat and the positive response from my body, that I don't miss gluten a bit. I feel healthy for the first time in my life.

I've fallen in love with this bread (it makes me very happy and I eat an amazing four slices a day sometimes) and have rediscovered my love for turkey sandwiches. Above was my lunch today, made with local veggies and cheese from a nearby farm. It was delicious.

This is my all-time favorite food book. Seriously, it's like the book I always wanted to write; the one that has been in my head for ages. As soon as I picked up this book and started reading it, it was like reading all the thoughts I've collected and stored over the years. It's been an amazing resource for me and I've found even a deeper connection and appreciation for the food we eat.

Off to find some chocolate...!

30 Days of Happiness: 19

Thank you for all your well wishes. After a really long night, we seem to be through the worst of it. Her temp is down to 102.7 this morning and she's up and running around, eating waffles, and reading books. Apparently it's only when it reaches over 105 degrees that she loses some of her spunk!

Not So Happy...

Normally I wouldn't post about something like this, but the little one came down with a sudden, very high fever earlier this evening. She has never been sick before, other than one runny nose, so this is new to us (and her). The fever spiked to 105.3 after just a couple of hours, which was a scary number to see. She's currently snoring next to me, cold wash cloths on her head and stripped down to her diaper in an attempt to cool her down. We are very worried about her. (Doctors have been called and we are a step away from going to the hospital.)

Please keep her in your thoughts. I am taking the first shift tonight. Hopefully she will be on her way to recovery soon. I will keep you all updated as things progress.

30 Days of Happiness: 18

Happiness is a good book...

and a good view.

30 Days of Happiness: 17

When I was four years old I decided that I would own a farm when I grew up. With animals, gardens, apple trees, a big barn with lots of hay to jump in, and a tire swing hanging from a big maple tree. I still dream of this. So the fact that we have six ducks and a dozen chicks makes me very happy. So happy, in fact, that I want to tell everyone I bump into that we have ducks and chickens. I've learned that most people just give me a crazy look, so I usually don't add on the tidbit about wanting goats soon.

I absolutely adore the idea of having farm animals around. The ducks are extremely timid, and even though I've belted out "Hey Jude" every night as I round them up into their house, they still quack and waddle away from me as fast as they can. (Really, my voice isn't that bad!)

The fact that I scour the yard for their beloved dandelion greens, carefully tearing them into little bits to place in their tub of water doesn't seem to convince them that I'm worth bonding with. I mean, technically they're adolescents now, right? So maybe they just need their space...

And the chicks are so completely mellow compared to the ducks. These gals are less than a week old and I already found three of them who squeezed through the bars of their cage outside chilling with the ducks! Daring little chicks, aren't they? So I gave in and decided to let them roam in the big pen outside. They are loving every minute of it. As I watch now from the window at them pecking the grass, I realize that my life seems to be headed in the exact direction I dreamed of all those years ago. What could be lovelier than that?!

Happy Solstice to you! Enjoy the weekend.