The Simple Things + A Sensory Snapshot = The Koi Pond

Each Sunday, I'll be linking up with 'Simple As That' for Rebecca's Simple Things Sundays. I'll also be posting what I call a 'Sensory Snapshot'. A Sensory Snapshot is a chance to revisit a moment that you really enjoyed or really moved you in-depth, exploring all the bits and pieces that made it memorable, the sounds, scents, feelings and sights that made it stick with you. 

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THE KOI POND

 

This past week we took Aedan on a shopping adventure and stopped at one of his favorite places, the garden center at a local farm market. He enjoys the nursery immensely, and from his perspective, I can see why. The well-established green house is a veritable jungle filled with flowering trees, palms, large-leafed tropical plants and a water feature that includes some of the largest Koi fish I have ever seen. This is where we chose to linger a while, allowing Aedan to explore the fish and the water to his heart's content. That moment that we shared was one that will stick with me for a long long time.

I held him tight to my chest as we leaned over the pond together, my arms cushioning him from the cool, hard stone bench that borders the pond. The air was hot and laden with moisture; the heady aroma of damp earth mixed with the pungent scents of the fish below us. Aedan explored the area calmly and serenely, first concentrating on the burbling sounds and splashes of the water ponds waterfall feature. Slowly, he brought his attention to the water beneath us as he caught a glimpse of the large Koi that slowly lapped the pool. With a calm, rhythmic pace, the largest of the fish slowly approached and swam right up under my son's outstretched hand and broke the water, it's large mouth opening and closing as though trying to say something. As my son watched, raptly attentive and totally immersed, everything else in the world completely melted away and I became totally immersed in the moment as well. I drank it all in; my son's tiny hand reaching for the giant fish, the beautiful colors and patterns of the scales that attracted him so. The sounds of the water splashing into itself mixed with the calm, relaxed breath of my son. The aromas of the water mixed with the soft, pure 'baby' smell as I nuzzled my nose into my son's hair and inhaled. His tiny, warm body clutched tight to my chest. It was a perfect moment.

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Join me over at Simple as That for Simple Things Sunday. I love Rebecca and her blog is -definitely- worth adding to your to-read list!!

New Adventures Ahead

Now that it is confirmed, I feel optimistic enough to get excited;

We'll have a home again soon! We bought an older manufactured home to replace the one we lost in the flooding of tropical storm Irene in August of last year. The first home feels like a trial run now, so I am renewed and invigorated about getting into the new place and making it into a home.

It needs some work. Floors, appliances, cosmetics and windows. My spare time has been a blur of research, pricing, inspiration and DIY project searches. Once we get settled and tackle the major necessities, I can work on the decorative frilly bits, which has me quite excited. I've seen so many inspiring things since we owned our last home and I can honestly say that I feel confident and secure that I have a better sense of where I want my style to go. Things should be picking up around the blog because of it.

We made our first home purchase last week; a range hood. I plan on seriously revamping the 27 year old kitchen and the range hood was a serendipitous find that matched my concept perfectly! Here's an image that is a pretty close match to the real thing:
I'll be getting into the house and photographing it entirely within the next two weeks so look forward to a thorough walk-through (with super super scary before pictures!) We are on a WAY tight budget, so the next few months should be a really fun and exciting challenge on creating a home with style on a frugal budget.

<3
Jenny

Spring has Sprung!

Things are busy around the house. Spring is here and Easter is right on the horizon. I've got my hands in a few little projects at the moment, including nursery decor and a few photo projects with the baby in honor of Spring!

Next week is mom's birthday; looking forward to spending the day with her and the baby. On the docket for today though: wrapping presents, setting up some photo shoots and tidying up the house.

Will post ago soon with some cute pictures!

Spring Cleaning - Bathroom!

Halfway through Spring Cleaning the bathroom in my apartment and boy oh boy did I get myself into something!

The walls desperately needed scrubbing. Not just washing, scrubbing. The former tenants smoked indoors...a lot. So I lost a lot of time scrubbing the walls and ceiling. Then came the routine stuff...fixtures, floors, et cetera. I'm almost done though. I'll be giving myself a few days off before I tackled the next big project...the eat-in kitchen.

Wish me luck!
Jenny

February - Come and Almost Gone!

February is almost over! Boy how time flies. It's been forever and a day since I wrote anything on this blog and so much has changed!

We're no longer home owners, thanks to hurricane Irene's devastation. That's a post for another day, to be sure.

I'm a mommy now! My bubbly bouncing baby boy Aedan is now 4 months old and growing like a weed! A pretty flowering weed that giggles and coos. He brings so much joy to my life and makes every day an adventure!



Today, we had company. A girlfriend stopped over to oogle the precious little monkey and grab some chit chat before headed back to her home to do her own mommy things. Now my baby boy is taking some relaxation time in his play pen, cooing and playing with some soft toys while I try to get some things done around the house.

And boy do I have a lot to do! MAJOR decluttering needs to happen before I can get to the nitty gritty cleaning chores. I've decided I'll leave my Valentine's day decorations up just a wee bit longer; they make the house so lovely and festive and colorful during the otherwise gray and drab February days.



Music is playing, coffee is warm, bubs is sleeping so now it is time to get busy!

XOXO
Jenny

Relaxing day to myself

I had the pleasure of a day off to myself today. I enjoyed the opportunity to rest, relax and recuperate after a rough week at work. I have a pot roast cooking now, and the results seem good so far! I'll be making some nice roasted potatoes and I am going to experiment with a maple-glaze for some carrots to accompany.
Edit
It was a snowy, cold day. We had about 7 or 8 inches of snow yesterday and it continued to snow very gently all day, which was peaceful and enjoyable to witness.

Back to work tomorrow, preparing for a busy holiday weekend.

Happy New Year!

Now that the holidays have drawn to a close, I am able to take a deep breath and relax a little bit. I get so caught up in the whirl-wind of festivities and fun and forget to find time to relax and enjoy life. Now that we're a week into January, I feel like a bit of a weight has lifted from my shoulders, and I feel refreshed.

I say it every New Year's, but this year I really hope to achieve it; I want to try and become a better person. This sounds vague and cryptic, but it really is my goal. I want to overhaul a lot of things, starting with the hearth and home. A few recent events have made me reevaluate a number of key friendships and with this reevaluation comes a deeper look at myself as a person. There is a lot of room for improvement, I am not ashamed to recognize this. I'm not sad or depressed about who I am. I just think I could be a lot better. I read so many blogs and authors who are so inspirational to me and how I want to live my life and I think that this year, I really will achieve what I am aiming for.

As we move onward through January, I am excited about Valentine's Day and the upcoming months. Soon I will be able to begin planning my first ever garden, for which I am mightily excited! Until then, I will fill the remaining cold winter nights with crafts, creativity and festivities. I will enjoy quiet time with my husband and my parents and I will slowly work on changing my outlook and improving my ambitions so that I can achieve all the goals I have set out before me for the new year ahead. It will be a good year, regardless of what might happen.

<3 Jenny

Yuletide Adventures Galore!

December has been as busy as I predicted it would be! Last weekend was filled with adventures to historical mansions along the Hudson River with my husband. Afterward we visited a holiday light show and child's fair, complete with costumed characters. It did wonders to raise holiday cheer, snuggled with my husband sharing cocoa and brownies while we watched a costumed gingerbread man dance with small children in a winter wonderland! I even snagged a couple new ornaments for our tree!


Speaking of trees, this weekend is also full of Christmas projects. We'll be getting our tree and visiting another local mansion's holiday open house, this time by candlelight! Afterward, we'll be spending the evening with good friends for a Christmas cookie baking party! Next on the list of holiday to-do: gingerbread house!

All the best,
Jenny <3

Busy Autumn Weekend!

What a busy weekend!

I got a few things almost crossed off my November winterising to-do list! Almost all the skirting has been put on the house, I removed half the wallpaper in my kitchen with the help of a friend and also demolished a useless partition wall, opening up the space between the kitchen and living.

After the demolition was done, I was able to go through and thoroughly clean my house just in time to have a few co-worker friends over for dinner. After such a productive day I was quite sore and tired. Waking up to snow flurries and sleet only helped to augment my desire for a cozy night at home with blankets and tea and movies. Next weekend? Organization projects and possibly dinner out at the in-laws, though the schedule is still flexible. The organization MUST be done, in order to be better prepared for the coming holidays and the hosting I shall be doing.

Till the next update, all my love!

Jenny <3

Days grow shorter...

October has come to a close as we move our way closer to the winter months. As the nights get colder and longer, we turn our attentions to the home and family as the holiday season continues.

Halloween was great fun. One last wild night of revelry before we hunker down to weather the winter. We have a few more outdoor tasks and chores to complete this coming month; installing skirting and insulation under the house, weatherizing the outdoor equipment and caulking and sealing all the doors and windows. Theoretically I might also get a roof installed over our front porch though it isn't necessarily a priority at this time.

I am excited for the downtime that November will bring. I will be celebrating Thanksgiving with my family here in town and going on a few weekend visits to the in-laws house about an hour away, but other then these few small occasions, most of my efforts and energy will be spent on preparing for the month of December and all the festivities that the holiday season will bring. I'll be hosting a Christmas party as well as family on Christmas eve and morning. I am very excited to start and continue family traditions.

To quell some of the excitement and eagerness for Christmas, I'll be taking stock of all my Christmas decorations and items in the coming weeks during the downtime as I prepare the house to be closed up for the winter months. After everything gets a thorough cleaning and a proper winterizing once-over, I'll concentrate more on spreading holiday cheer!

All my love,
Jenny