Family Archives - Page 19 of 26 - Enjoying the Small Things

Hittin’ the Road

June 2, 2012 By Kelle

My mind is full of fireworks lately–ideas, inspiration, thoughts, changes–all exploding in colorful bursts, and I want to focus on every scatter of sparks, every loud boom and resounding echo. Sometimes I imagine these ideas as scraps of pretty fabric–and since I’m not a real-life quilter, I can be an imaginary one, stitching thoughts and creative impulses together in random patterns–some linear and methodical but just as many askew, free form. I tuck the squares of fabric I don’t use in drawers for later, hoping I’ll remember where I put them.

A woods walk with friends last week, needful for creativity. My friend Dede wears a black dress and carries a champagne glass. I completely love this.

Last night was very special.

There were tears. And toasts. And many proud smiles.

Life changes, moves on, flows ahead.

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What I’m really excited about? Tomorrow we climb into a packed car and head out for our epic road trip. We’re headed to Michigan for two weeks, stopping in Chicago on the way there for a book signing. It’s been a while since we’ve done a family trip, and a very long while since we’ve committed to anything over a few days (although sadly, Austyn has an international school trip and Brandyn has freshman football, so they can’t come). I’m beyond excited. Other than the book signings, we have no plans. I know I want to show my girls some Michigan lighthouses, hug cousins, sleep in, take long walks, go fishing, and perhaps scour a Great Lake for Petoskey stones. As for the drive, thankfully Brett is as laid back as I am. We plan to stop whenever we feel moved. To take pictures of the Smoky Mountains by the side of the road, to drive through a state park, to pull off at an exit just because it promises Krispy Kremes. I’m smiling just typing this. Spontaneity is grand.

Stacks of our favorite outfits line the entire length of our bay window, and I am planning on packing it all up late tonight–perhaps accompanied by You’ve Got Mail and a Salty Dog.

Large freezer bags full of socks and underwear, bathing suits and hats, diapers, etc. keep suitcases nicely organized, and they can be reused.

Lainey’s helping.

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Because I’m more than a little bit excited, I’ve taken some extra time to plan epic fun for our road trip, inspired by Heidi’s and my epic road trip of 2009.

For car entertainment, we are packing the following:

1. Favorite new Coloring/Activity Books: Girls Doodle Book (yes, there’s a unicorn on the cover) and The Coloring Book, both gifts from my artsy friend, Jen.
2. Melissa & Doug Travel Bingo (two super sturdy wooden boards with several different interchangeable road themes)
7. Magnetic U.S. Map: I thought this would be a fun way to teach Lainey a bit of continental geography. We’ll start with an empty map and add the states as we see them on license plates.
8. Stockmar Beeswax: better than PlayDoh and/or clay (less messy, smells good, natural, doesn’t dry out). You can mold anything from this!

Lainey and I created a Road Trip book from card stock paper–cut in half, hole punched and tied together with ribbon. We’ll keep track of things we see along the way, tape postcards and souvenirs in it, and write down our favorite memories. Heidi and I did this three years ago and loved it.

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Using window crayons, we decorated the car a bit to add to our excitement:

And I’m using a lazy susan for picnic utencils (propped up on other cargo) to store crayons/markers, snacks and drinks, napkins, etc. so that the girls can access things on their own. This avoids that whole headache/neck strain thing I get from leaning back a gajillion times to pass necessities.

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I found a great phone app for a road trip scavenger hunt, but I’m a paper-and-pencil kind of girl and wanted to add some of our own findings, so I created one that I printed off. You could do this with passengers competing against each other but, since the girls can’t read yet, we will work together as a family to add points, and I figure every time we get to 100 points, we get something: treats at a gas station, drive-thru ice cream, a couple dollars spending money, etc.
(I found some other printables here and here as well)

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For a new car toy, we created our own story telling magnets. Remember Sunday School flannelgraph lessons? Kind of like that but cooler. Okay, nothing’s cooler than flannelgraph.

We printed photos of our family and friends on 4 x 6 photo paper, adhered them (trimmed down) to adhesive magnet sheets (available at craft stores and Walmart) and cut closely along the edges to create our magnets.

Add a cookie sheet and, Voila–a magnet story board.

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Finally, we’re bringing back the Road Trip Gas Tags. Whenever we stop for gas, we’ll tie a happy little message to the gas pump before we leave.

So yeah, we’re excited.

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If you’re in the Chicago area or in Michigan, we’d love to meet you for the book signings! Come say hi, get your book signed, ask a question, listen to a reading, bring your kids, sip on one of those bookstore iced coffee things. I’m looking forward to meeting you.

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Friday Phone Dump:

And introducing some new fun. Out of all the social media outlets, I’ve found Instagram to be my favorite. It feels homey. Not overwhelming in the least bit. I’m @etst on Instagram, and if you’d like to share the moments that make you happy, use #enjoyingthesmallthings hashtag and I’ll be adding some of your photos every Friday.

Some of my favorite happies from your photos this week (Instagram usernames included):

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some packing to do.

Happy Weekend.

I see your sand castle, and I raise you a moat.

March 17, 2012 By Kelle

According to Lainey who just checked the clock, it is “eighty hundred o’clock.” Which means a day late and a dollar short for a blog post.

So I’ll start with a Friday Photo Dump:

Friday Phone Dump photos are taken on the Instagram iPhone app (free) and dropped into a 12×12 collage using a photo editing software (Photoshop Elements works). I am @etst (enjoying the small things) on Instagram if you want to follow the feed.

I am exhausted in the same way tired full babies fall asleep, smiling. They are satisfied and fed. They want to sleep.

And no, I did not purposely drop that line in there to offer a nice transition, but hey, since it’s there, I’m not letting it go to waste.

Hello, baby.

I reinstated my visitation rights with newborns this weekend after finally getting over a wretched cold. My reunion with Baby Ivy was very clouds-parting-angels-singing. I speak newborn. I dig babies.

And my girl? She’s like her mama. She is drawn to babies, and something within her comes very much alive when she’s cradling a tiny body. I asked her how she knows how to hold a baby so good. She answered, “I just know, Mom.”

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With my mom here for only a couple more days, I feel the hourglass sand slipping, and fitting as much fabulousness into her trip has become my mission. We don’t hold lofty standards for fabulousness. We settle for simple things–anything that writes good memories.

Lainey thought the yarn shop was boring which made me smile. Boring will make good memories too. I should know. I spent many an afternoon wandering fabric store aisles years ago, hiding between bolts of cotton muslin, begging my mom to step away from the Butterick books.

Being bored is perhaps the best catalyst for creativity.

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As all good showing-visitors-our-town adventures go, we ended up at the beach Thursday afternoon–a different beach, one that requires a little tram ride to get to but offers the advantage of softer sand, more shells and the interesting landscape of a pass that separates two beaches with a shallow pool and extensive sand bars.

The sky was unusually vivid, the gulf quiet and calm. We couldn’t have picked a better day to visit, and I felt a little guilty owning the praise when my mom applauded me relentlessly for picking this beach, for arranging this perfect day. Nature really delivered. But still–I said “You’re welcome.”

And sand castles? Listen. We don’t mess around. We brought a plastic shovel and two pails and, while we started with a humble mound and some shells, some kid a few towels over tried to show us up with this flashy sand mansion. I saw Lainey eyeing it, and I’m sorry to say I suddenly turned into the mom who takes over her kid’s science project to get him a blue ribbon. “George, wet sand!” I commanded as I tossed him an empty pail. “Lainey! Sticks, feathers, shells–anything you can find. Go! Bring it!” I ordered. And Mama done lost her mind, sculpting, scraping, patting. Our hard work rendered two homes–the summer beach castle and the winter sand cabin. Moat included.

I will chill out by third grade. Promise.

It is so nice having my mama here.

I’ve been slipping away to get work done when I can, to catch up on e-mails, do a little writing, clean up chores. It’s hard sometimes to be “on vacation” with visiting family when there’s a lot of work to do at home. And by hard, I mean good. Because we make more efforts to make memories. We wake up earlier, go to bed later and only choose the very best things to fill our time. We say “yes” to more opportunities, and at the end of the day we are exhausted but completely satisfied. There will be time for rest later. There will be quiet moments to pull back, settle down, recover. But memories take work sometimes. Amazing takes work.

And it’s worth it.

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I so loved reading all of the things you learned from your mamas, grandmas, and women who inspire you. So much good advice–thank you for sharing!

Congratulations to the Popina swimsuit winner, Comment #414: The Whirling Dirvish: “My mom taught me that I am stronger today than the before and that I am the culmination of the sorrows, joys, struggles and triumphs of each and every woman before me. That having my daughters made me stronger and that it’s my job to remind them of the same things she taught me. Oh, and that any day can be made better by new shoes :)”

Whirling Dirvish (I hope that’s your real name because that would be awesome), please send your contact info to kellehamptonblog@comcast.net with the subject line POPINA WINNER, and start looking for a fabulous big hat to accessorize your new suit! Congrats!

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Introducing new sponsor, Honeysuckle Road, a Georgia hand-stamped accessory shop specializing in personalized jewelry and accessories with inspiring quotes, all reasonably priced.

I absolutely love my Live What You Love bracelet.

Wear your inspiration close where you can be reminded, or pick something out for a friend at Honeysuckle Road. Happy Shopping!

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Our weekend continued with a county fair, a parade and, might I add, a whack to the head with a flag stick when I stepped into the line of the color guard today. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to ya.
More to come.

When Mama is Here

March 14, 2012 By Kelle

Right now, from where I am sitting, I can hear my mom reading to Lainey on the couch. It is quiet except for the sound of her voice that sings the words like a kindergarten teacher–softly but with good enthusiasm. I don’t know what the story is, but I’ve picked up something about three big white birds and a handsome swan.

Savory whiffs of homemade chicken pot pie are escaping from the oven, and cooling on the bay window ledge right now are two perfect pies–one apple, one mixed berry.

My mama’s here.

This means a number of things–that the Scrabble board will come out from its dusty hiding place in the closet, that we’ll set out on bikes for evening rides, that the meals of my childhood will resurface this week, that the hole that’s been growing on Lainey’s puppy blanket will finally get patched and sewed, that we’ll watch at least two wholesome Hallmark movies and talk about them when they’re over, that we’ll search eBay for European shoes and quilts and dolls back from when they made them good. And we’ll make pies. Because that’s what my mom does.

There is the other part though–the bigger picture part where I think about legacy and generations and how much my perpective changes as I get older. How much I appreciate my mom more and what she did for us when we were little, what she does for us now. And having her here and listening to her sing to my kids or watching her transform my meager pantry staples into the World’s Best Casserole, I can’t help but fast forward and wonder, what will it look like when my girls are grown?

I hope I do the best character voices in stories for my grandkids. I hope they save their tattered security blankets for me to patch up on my visits. And I hope I make some mean pies.

I struggle with a good even pie crust, so I watched my mom today, studying her method. She said it’s easy. “You just have to show the crust who’s boss.”

Bonus of mama visits? I get to be a tour guide–taking her to our favorite places and revisiting them with new enthusiasm. She and George like nature and flowers and outdoor adventures. They know the names of birds, and they bring their own binoculars.

Lainey was excited to introduce her friends to her grandma and grandpa yesterday, to show off for them in ballet, to tell Aleena “you can call her Grandma Krissy too.”

And I, as Kelly Corrigan would say, like being in that middle place, hugged between needing a mom and being a mom, still learning and taking and yet teaching and giving at the same time.

As I watch my girls whisper to their own baby dolls, wrapping them up in whatever they can find for blankets, kissing their heads, gently toting them along on our trips and attending to them in the car, I can only smile and be assured that the cycle will continue.

They are just beginning–little blocks of love and affection, praise and guidance slowly building their foundation. And while sometimes I wonder what the middle place holds for Nella, I at least find comfort in the fact that her foundation is strong. We are in control of that, and that is empowering. We’ll cushion her up good–love on every side, and yet we’ll push her forward too. And you can be damned sure, Sister’s going to know how to make pies.

P.S. Sister has mad typing skills.

We finished our afternoon at the pool today, Lainey bravely jumping with big splashes to impress both her mama and her grandma and Nella watching quietly from her float.

This middle place? Best view in the house. I look back for inspiration, I look forward with motivation.

That’s what mamas do.

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Being that it’s mid-March and the promise of warmer and sunnier is on everyone’s mind, we’ve been dipping in the pool a little more frequently and making plans for Isle of Capri.

This, of course, means swimsuit time. The perfect swimsuit, to be exact. I’ve proclaimed my love in the past for the fabulous vintage swimwear Popina offers, and this year I think I’ve found my favorite suit yet (close tie with the yellow). Popina offers a range of tankinis, highwaist swimwear and vintage styles. They are comfy and butt-hugging in just the way you want your butt hugged.

Jantzen Vamp Suit

Popina is offering a 15% discount right now, using code kelle. And one lucky commenter on this post will win a free swimsuit, courtesy of Popina Swimwear (winner announced Friday). Find a big hat, a pair of Jackie O’s, tell Esther Williams to move over and get ready for some sunshine.

In your comment, tell me, what’s one of your favorite things you learned from your mama? And if not from your own mom, then maybe from someone else’s mom.

I learned to be content. To love simple things. To use dish cloths, not sponges. And to never stop hugging and kissing my kids. Even when they’re all grown up.

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