ten on tuesday, plus some cheating.

1. confession: i've been finding it hard to post lately, in part because life has upshifted into a new gear of crazy, but mostly because so much of what occupies my heart is intensely personal, yet in a way that's not mine to share.

vague enough? i'm quite sorry, but let us forge ahead.

2. elle has been planning a dance party for the two of us (well, her original proposal included many little friends and also cakes and presents, but that part didn't make it through committee), and today was the Big Event. she donned her crown and gold-toned necklace, and i showed up in my sweats and stripey socks, and we boogied with gusto to disney-slash-broadway tunes, followed by a well-deserved plopping down on the rug to catch our breaths.

3. plopping photo number one:




4. plopping plus a bit of giggling:



5. see how i'm cheating with the numbers here? it's in everyone's best interest, i assure you.

6. today was quintessential spring: coolish in a sunny way, or sunny in a coolish way, i'm not sure which, and the air with that brand-new smell. perfection.

7. i am quite possibly allergic to the General Outdoor Area. that, coupled with a cold and some sinus issues has me congested in a way that goes all the way up to my brain.

8. also, i spent much of saturday huddled outdoors in the rain, which may or may not have augmented my brain clog, but my boys were coaxing soccer balls down the soggy fields in ways that could not be missed.

9. my friend shannan writes better than, well, everyone but God, and she lived rightnextdoor to me for two years in college and that whole time i never once clued in to her linguistic genius.

now that we reside more than a hundred miles apart, i have seen the light. and i yearn to be her next door neighbor. (can i buy a do-over?)

10. after working much of the weekend, i've finally finished up proofs of my niece. just a couple more shots of this irresistible tiny person:





ah. sweet dreams, friends.

sweet.

internet, meet my brandnew niece.



i love the smell of her, all warmth and skin and baby.





i adore the soft folds of her skin, her fingers curled in tiny fists, her delicious sleepiness. she's a bundle of pure miracle.



[makes me miss my children just a bit at this size. makes me wish i'd been more awake to relish their newness.]

more sweetness here:

a winner. plus also a discount code and general happiness.

three cheers for mindy, whose name was drawn for the sarah jane print and sweetTea earrings.

several of y'all's comments had me giggling, and i was wishing i could rig the random number generator for, well, all of you. which perhaps might invalidate the 'random' part.

so for all of you non-winners (not to be confused with losers, who clearly wouldn't be reading this blog) i am offering a 20% discount on any sweetTeashoppe purchase, good through monday at midnight.

i've got tons of pretties that would make perfect mother's day gifts.

 

just enter BLOG20 or type 'discount please!' or something of that sort when you purchase, and wait for a revised invoice from me. [but i'm flexible (like, literally--i'm known for turning lights off with my toes), so if you forget to leave me a message or forget to wait for an invoice, just holler. we'll fix it.]

hope your weekend is sunshiney!

fresh.

there's something ephemeral about morning light in early spring, the air humming with hope and possibility.

join us over at beth's place for more images of fresh.



ps and if you haven't yet done so, please drop your name in for the most delightful sarah jane print and some sweetTea earrings. yay!

april showers bring gorgey giveaways.

have you ever desperately wished to win your own giveaway? i'm finding myself in that particular boat this week.

i purchased the loveliest rainy-day print from sarah jane studios a couple months back, planning to give it away (with a pair of raindrop earrings) to my equally lovely blog friends.

but then it arrived.

and it was all timeless and delightful and gorgeous beyond all reckoning, and suddenly i was not feeling quite so magnanimous.

however, i have since given myself several stern talkings-to, and here we are, reluctantly charitable once again.


print + earrings:





sarah jane draws these illustrations in walnut ink and prints them herself on hahnemühle museum etching paper. peruse more of her work here. (july's dilemma and time for a walk are my current veryfavorites.)

the raindrop earrings i've made from sterling, amazonite stone, and green czech glass.

to enter, just leave me a comment below! tweet or facebook for extra entries.

the april giveaway will close friday, april 16th at midnight est. bonne chance!


* * *

the fine print: i purchased this print myself; i am in no way affiliated with sarah jane studios. furthermore, sarah jane studios is not endorsing this giveaway nor this blog, and i am in no way compensated for this promotion. i just really like her stuff. and i really like you. you're welcome.


UPDATED APRIL 17th: we have winner! mindy, this is your happy day. thanks everyone, for your generous comments!

the rest of budapest.

 



 







 



 





it comforts me deeply to know that no matter how far one wanders, God remains closer than breath itself. (more of 'comfort' here.)



ps happy anniversary, babe. your patience and tenderness toward me is nothing short of heroic.

pps welcome to my brand-new and ohsobeautiful niece (she arrived this morning!). what a grand day this is shaping up to be.

smallish surprises.

they craft stuff for us, the youngest two. paper houses and purses and cards! reams of cards.

em rejoices at any opportunity to make a card for each member of our family. (zee is temporarily too cool to be moved by sibling affection, but bee keeps his. it's sweet.)




then there's elle, who leaves colorful notes on my pillow, or slips them under the bathroom door while i shower, then hangs about to hear me exclaim as i find them.





i suppose they shan't still be doing this at seventeen, but i can't help but hope they never outgrow the delight of making and giving (and that elle will keep forming those mcdonald's m's).

so very much to love.




more of tuesday unwrapped at chatting at the sky.

He is risen indeed.

It is the hour to rend thy chains, The blossom time of souls. [KL Bates]

budapest [part two]

the danube is a broad swath of river, criss-crossed by stately bridges and enveloping a couple tiny islands. the water turns an inky, beguiling blue come twilight.





budapest has the best doorways. i photographed a half-dozen or so, and found myself wishing i knew the stories behind each one.





it seems the half-century of soviet occupation has left its mark; some of the prettier remains are the painted eggs and matryoshkas.



knee-level at an indoor market.



a view of the flat, pest side of the city.



street musicians. these guys were ridiculously talented.





fishermen's bastion on the castle hill.



it's impossible not to love a city with beauty and history carved into every corner. (one more round to come.)