{pretty, happy, funny, real} with Sky


-Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life-

I'm grateful for this chance to capture contentment today.  
Is it just me or has the blog world and the internet become more snarky and more biting lately?  Maybe it's just me.  It's really been getting me down.  It's been disheartening the last few days to see so many posts of criticism and negativity and tearing down.  I'm all for good debates on things (love them, in fact) and I do participate in my share of sarcasm.  But this growing genre of Catholic snark and specifically Catholic Mom Snark...yikes.  And the incessant complaining about the mom gig in the name of "keeping it real"...well, I'm not all that convinced it's that great of a thing, despite the occasional entertainment value of it all.  And that's all I'll say about that.  
(Painfully obvious but necessary disclaimer:  I'm not talking about people simply sharing struggles and seeking support or a once in a while vent.  That can be a very edifying and good thing.)

So today I've been trying to just breathe.  To step back a bit and get a little bit of air.  To capture the contentment I've been so easily losing in the noise.

{pretty}

Today's sky:

(Autofixed on ipiccy)

(Autofixed on ipiccy)

(unedited except for my scary copyright.  Because people are just clamoring to come steal my mediocre photos.)

(Autofixed on ipiccy)

And just for fun the view at dawn from my kitchen window a few weeks ago: 



{happy}

Boy with a ball:


{funny}

Boys with their bows:






{real}  

The weather man said it was going to rain today:


Love when they're wrong in such a very good way!  
Our very wet, very real cellar is very very grateful.  
Ready?  (You may want to put on one of those paper flu masks...)


Perhaps this is why I do crazy things like buy a white couch or paint everything white or require that no toy ever be left out ever even when a child is taking a twenty seven second break from playing with it.  To pretend that I am not living on top of a cesspool such as this.  This is what a 132 year old stone foundation looks like.  And this is what it does in the spring when you live in a flood zone after being pumped out repeatedly.  Fixing it is next on the list and filed under Things You Never Want to Spend Money On But Have To.

I won't even show you the nasty sludge-filled broken cistern that is behind me.  You might catch something.

Hop on over to LMLD for more {phfr} and to Cari at CD for more TT.

Oh, and don't forget that our little Pampered Chef giveaway is still open and the party's going on!

16 comments

  1. I loved every picture! Except the basement ;) You have some fine photography skills goin on! (Were the helmets from an earlier bike ride, or are they archery-wear?!?!?! Love it either way!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Someone I know recommended a great camera which I am slowly getting used to ;) Helmets were from biking and I'm pretty sure they can't get them off without help...which is not always readily available...

      Delete
  2. I am so sorry that I am a lover of old homes, but that foundation is beautiful. They do not make them like that anymore, picturesque, sorry but it's true. And the boys with those bows! You are a courageous mama!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I actually sort of liked it when we looked at the house! I do love old homes so much. Floody, moldy basements not so much :)

      Delete
  3. That is one little dude with a weapon!! Looks like a blast!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree with you about the complaining about the "mom gig"; it really does bring all moms down when we do it. What we need is real support and being honest about the hard things is for a few close friends, not whoever is on the internet. We need to be honest, but positive about motherhood and family life if we are ever going to survive in a contraceptive culture.

    Also, the pictures of Luke playing ball make me wonder how he is able to stand on such a slant. ;) You do such a good job of reminding me to sit back and enjoy my kids.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! He's quite talented :) And thank you. I know I've been guilty of it, too, but I'd really like to be someone who encourages others and finds the true, good, and beautiful in my little vocation. Far to go but working on it...

      Delete
  5. I'm glad I missed out on whatever mom snarkiness was going around, it certainly isn't edifying to any of us. I love your basement, and I love old houses. Though, I admit, did I live in your house with such basement problems--I would be thoroughly fed up. (I've been there done that before in a previous house). So, my heart goes out to you. And I love all the blue sky--so refreshing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. My basement is not *quite* that old, but it looks to be in much the same condition as yours, garden hose, bucket, puddle (lake?) of standing water and all.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love your dawn pictures, but then I saw your boys with those bows and that just took the cake. Great photos of boys being boys! =)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your pictures are absolutely stunning! I love that color blue..so gorgeous!

    Those boys pictures are so neat...the boy and arrow are so much fun!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I totally agree re: mom complaining. I do think it's funny when we share the craziness the kiddos bring or talk about struggles, but constant negativity is really hard to take. Also...it makes me feel out of place. I genuinely love being a mom - pretty much every day. A lot of times I feel out of place on the blogosphere of Catholic mamas - is it because I only have one? Is she an easy baby? Should I be anticipating that as my family grows, so will my level of misery? I don't mean to suggest that women shouldn't use their blogs to share difficult times; only that complaining is a habit just like anything else and can often shape our thoughts and days as much as gratitude and grateful thinking can.

    Anyway...here's hoping your cellar dries out soon. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've never thought about it that way...thank you for bringing that up! Our attitudes and actions are definitely shaped by our habits and I know I need to keep working on it living gratefully!

      Delete
  10. Those photos are incredible! Love each and every one.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wonderful photos!
    And great idea to combine PHFR with TT...perhaps I'll try that one week:)

    Lovely.
    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love the pictures of my favorite boys. Glad to see they are staying in training in case the dreaded invasion of enemies or "bad elephants" happens. I did wonder if the helmets were for the archery session. Shirts of mail might be an idea. Glad the weather is improving and time outside is increasing.
    Love
    Grandma & Grumpy

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting and reading! I love hearing from readers so if a comment box on a post is turned off, it's because Blogger is terrible about filtering spam. If you'd like to send me a message, please use my contact page. Thank you!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.