PDX with the Boys

on our way to Portland

waiting in the train station

a nice person saw us trying to take a group photo of ourselves so she offered to help!

on the train

havin a good time

in his own world

daydreaming

sightseeing

chillin on our room

August's plate after breakfast at Kenny and Zukes

contemplating his next move

drawing a jasper portrait

getting new boots at Johnny Sole

shopping

jasper with camera

the sign in Cargo

goofin off

being silly

Gus and his carp

you just saw a photo montage of our weekend in Portland, Oregon.

we took the boys, for the first time, on the train, to see a concert and stay at the Ace Hotel.

we saw The Head and The Heart on sunday night.

and chad and i slipped away saturday night to see The Hackensaw Boys.

we went to Cargo, ate good food, got chad new boots at Johhny Sole and wandered the warm sunny streets. 

will show you my pdx finds in another post soon :)

xoxox

jennette

Becoming 16

Gus longboarding in Chelan last summer.

this one.  this kid o' mine.  August.  he is turning 16 today.  big day, i tell ya.  those of you who know him.....can you believe it?!  because i can hardly believe it. and i gave birth to him!

how did this happen, that he is 16??!!

us in Chelan last summer during a storm.

it kills me that he is turning 16, that i only "have" him for two more years. 

akkk!  i hate that! 

but it gets me thinking about what a fantastic gift it is to be his mom.

catching fish on lake roesigner, at jeremy and kirsten's, 4th of july.

it's a pleasure to help guide this child o' mine as he finds his way through the big, big world. 

waiting for the ferry to Lopez Island to hang out with the Kvistad's.

even though it can be an intimidating and messy task, this raising kids business.

listening to music at the woods stage, Pickathon 2010

the figuring out when to offer counsel, direction, assistance, and advice

dinner at Six Arms before the Head and the Heart and Vampire Weekend concert.

the knowing when to dive in and advocate for them without being in defensive mama bear mode,

trying on a full length fur coat at the thrift store to crack me up!

and when to put on the brakes, back off, trust in all you have offered and exposed them too, and let them discover their own path,

stylin in a vintage plaid jacket, denim shirt and silk tie

even, and foremost, when it means allowing them to flail, falter and find their own two feet.

carving pumpkins with the family.

but really this boy of mine has transformed me, changed me,

nudged me gently and willingly into motherhood,

August with his cousin Jack at Thanksgiving.

altered me,

cracking me up, being a total goof ball!

made my world more deep and meaningful than i ever thought it could be.

trying on an awesome vintage sweater that his great grandma knit for his uncle almost 40 years ago!

he is amazing.  August, you are awesome!

whale and bird watching near Sayulita, Mexico

you are more than worth the worry, stress and sleeplessness!

after a day of surfing, la lancha, mexico.

you are my sunshine.

playing nightly guitar.

you are an amazing artist and musician.

massive comic collection (self portrait!)

you are smart, silly, and thoughtful.

asleep in the car from Tombstone to Tucson.

you are a loving and influential big brother!

new vintage shirt, tucson

you can do anything.

birding in Sabino Canyon

you are golden, my son.

my boy-man.

my love.

Happy 16th Birthday August!

I love you to the universe and back!

xoxoxox

mom

Mom

i recently found this photo of my mom.

it was taken when i was 12.

so she was 34.

i just adore it.

she looks so happy.

she had just met my other dad, Greg.

married now for more than 20 years.

and still so happy together.

i love you mom.

thank you for choosing dad.

thank you for showing us how to make it work.

thanks for always sending a card.

and thank you for taking the "deep dive" with me even when it's uncomfortable.

i love love love you!

Happy Mother's Day!

xoxox

jennette



Ledger

i LOVE old ephemera!

i found this ancient ledger in Bisbee, AZ.

look at the gorgeous marbled paper

and the beautiful, elegant, careful hand writing

nibs dipped in an ink bottle

dating from 1881

it appears to be lists of names with credits and charges

who sent money where, to whom and when?

could not find and identifying city, company or author to investigate.  was hoping, but no luck. 

i have a lot of ephemera in worse shape than this that i use in art projects but i am not sure if i can bring myself to take this one apart. 

perhaps i will make copies of the pages i want to use and leave the ledger in tact.

if you ever find or have old ephemera you need to be rid of, i'm your girl!

drinking unsweetened iced green tea with my usual two scoops of matcha,

xoxox

jennette



The Gift of an Ordinary Day

hey friends!

here is a short review and pitch for Katrina Kenison's book The Gift of an Ordinary Day.

ok, be forewarned. this book will make you cry, weep, sob and laugh, smile & chuckle. i highly recommend it if you have kids, are a mother, have a mother, or know a mother, and all parents world wide, far and near!!!

my sweet friend Tiffany turned me on to this book. as many of you know, i spend a LOT of time in my car and i listen to a LOT of books on cd. of course i listened to this book and after Tiff shared the video with me:

how could i not?!

did you watch the video?!  are you crying yet?!

i am just in awe of the universe putting these much needed experiences in my path when i can really use them. this book is about a mom who has two teen sons and how she is maneuvering through all the changes that come with our kids getting ready to fly the coop.

i have been lamenting to friends, and really, to anyone who will listen, about how hard it is getting and staying centered in the here and now and enjoying the gifts of an ordinary day. i find myself complaining about the speed of life, the time lost or past that was not knowingly appreciated, and the unfairness of only "having" my oldest son for just two more years.

Kenison speaks to all of this and more. she writes about finding peace and balance and quiet. she writes about finding new adventures, new friends, and centering.  and about how all the hard stuff, the choices, the decisions, how it's all transient, fleeting, short lived. how all we have control of is ourselves and our next step. how the past is in the past and that we don't need to "future-trip" so much about the future.

So much of what Kenison shared, her insights and her opinions, were like crystal clear gifts of love to me. i listened with my kids in the car and they just silently watched me weep and wipe my eyes. it was nice having my teenager hear some of what i have tried to tell him about why i do and say what i do and say! it is such a gift to be reminded of how i want to live and interact with my boys, what i want them to take away when they go and what it is that is important to me that they "get." Kenison nailed it, spot on, and i am so thankful and appreciate to have had the opportunity to hear this from her now while i am in the thick of it. earlier would have been nice too but at least i got it now. for that i am grateful.

here is a quote from kenison's website:

“Watching my sons growing and changing so visibly, almost from one day to the next, I sensed something in me breaking loose and changing as well, something no less powerful for being invisible. It was almost as if, having strived for years for predictable comforts, urban conveniences, and security of our well-established routines, I was suddenly haunted by all the things I hadn’t done, the dreams that might never be realized, the sense that the tidy, civilized life we’d worked so hard to create didn’t quite fit the person I really was, or, rather, still thought I might be.”–from The Gift of an Ordinary Day

if you have young children, tweens or teens, i would love for you to get your hands on this book. Dads too!  the small bit Chad has listened to so far has given us so much good stuff to talk about.  and i dare the dads to not be moved to tears as well! 

even though Kenison has two boys i think all of us parents, with 1 or 4 kids, girls or boys, who parent thoughtfully and with much care, can learn from her experiences. the earlier the better, i'd say. and i will definitely be revisiting this one over and over again. it's a keeper and i am thankful!

listening to Aimee Bender's, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake,

a little escape after the serious,

xoxo

jennette