bloom.

photo of nella by kelle hampton (c)

kelle hampton's book bloom is coming out soon on harper collins.

i so very much admire her ability to transform life's challenges into joy and gratitude.

her blog makes her life look like it's 100 percent magic. i'm sure that's not the case; that there are many trying times as well.

having met her i know she is not in denial about life's hardships. but her unfailing pursuit of joy has been very inspiring to me during difficult times.

how many people do you know who work this hard to see the good in life?

i hear bloom is going to get some major national exposure, so look for it soon.

happy friday, my lovelies. i am thankful for you and the beauty you bring to my world.

j

nella.

i have followed this girl's life via her mom's blog since, well, before she was born.

i could go on and on about how dear she is.

instead, go see for yourself. you will be forever changed.

join the cause of loving and supporting these beautiful children who have so much potential, love and dreams.

xoxoxo

be good to yourself and others today, my lovelies.

revelations.

i never put much stock in the importance of santa claus.

so a couple of years ago, when the boy (then 4 years old) asked me, is santa real? or is it really just the parents buying all the presents?, i didn’t hesitate to tell him the truth.

i never liked the idea of lying to him in the first place, worrying about the indelicacy of one day undoing all the untruths i’d told. i dreaded the gruesome task of dismantling the gleaming façade that is a child’s most precious holiday.

i had imagined the scenario a hundred times – the ugly truth revealed by a schoolyard friend and my boy racing to me for an explanation, the hurt and distrust welling up in his eyes.

how could you lie to me for all these years?, he would ask, how could you do it?

and so he asked me one day and i told him. and that was that.

i was, in a way, relieved.

but then he told his pre-school friends and they told their mothers, and boy, was i in trouble.

all the groundwork they’d laid to ensure good behavior all year around was for naught.

i’d rendered worthless their meticulous efforts to maintain the myth: the hours spent positioning that crafty all-seeing elf on a shelf; the scrawling on gift tags “from santa” with their opposite writing hand; the wee hours spent fabricating hoof prints in driveway snow and positioning plates of half-eaten cookies on the hearth; the elaborate late-night bedside explanations of the physics of flying reindeer who are able to deliver their keeper to every home in the world in just one night.

despite the other parents’ reactions to my faux pas, i was not too deeply bothered, once again crediting my child for his exceptional level-headedness, and me for my practical thinking.

but in time it occurred to me that I was a rat.

and a complete failure at the one of the most important tasks entrusted to me as a parent:

to nurture in my child his wild, natural ability to believe in what cannot be seen.

so brief is the time children believe anything is possible; that love is unbreakable and that dreams come true. who was i to take that away?

i suppose in the moment, i said what was best for me. i didn’t want to take the chance he’d be angry with me when he got older. i couldn’t face breaking the news later, so i did it now.

but in my self-righteous truth-telling, the truth I forgot is that magic is not only important, it is real: by believing in it we make it so.

i now regret hurrying us both past that dreamy state in which mothers and sons share bedtime stories about jolly arrivals and magical deliveries, and goodness is rewarded for goodness sake.

for all my parental blundering, the boy seems no worse for wear.

he is pleased to know exactly who has possession of his wish list, and to have access to her around the clock for last minute reminders and additions.

but as he transforms in size and maturity before my eyes, I often wonder ...

what was my rush?

* * * * *
here's a charming book, kristin and the santa secret, that tells you the right way to share with your child about santa - go buy it today and share it with your clueless (like me) mommy friends.

and to see a mommy thoroughly enjoying the heck out of the holidays (and every day!) go see what kelle hampton is up to. she inspires me daily to let go of my fear and just enjoy this crazy thing called mothering.

although, even kelle has a bad holiday moment every once and a while.

that's it for today, my lovelies. counting the days until i travel home, where magic will be in abundant supply!

bits of my weekend, vol. 57, part 2.

i am back in nashville but my time away lingers with me.

my skin is peeling from languid days in the south florida sun, bronzing, floating, boating and shelling.

i'm still savoring the fantastic meals my sisters cooked up with sis's BF john: hearty stewed mulagatawny soup, spicy-hot thai dishes brimming with ginger, garlic and tamarind, and home pressed pasta noodles swimming in olive oil, pesto, herb goat cheese and toasted pine nuts ... insanely delicious. (recipes to come!)

i am still reveling in the first part of the trip in my home state of illinois: it was a bittersweet melange of childhood memories, farm fresh foods and feeling the love of family.

the whole thing started as a dream. to bring together the family, as we always do each summer for granny camp, but add to it an extra five days in naples, fla., so the boy could bond even more with his cousins on the glorious beaches.

it was a series of miracles. from the perfect weather at my parents' home, to the glorious sunset revealed after a rainstorm blew over and clouds cleared away just in time on closing night.

i'll share pictures this week. there are too many to post at once. for now, enjoy these.

oh! and without my brother-in-law rupert, these photos wouldn't have happened. thanks for capturing these precious moments, "g."

the boy flanked by his co-bro's.

this silly grin never left his face all week long.

my formerly terrified-of-water kiddo is now a fearless fishy.

sunset (and sunburnt) at barefoot beach, july 4.

me, cousin sooz, twinnie and sis.

it's the obligatory bikini shot. we'll keep doing it as long as gravity allows.

twinnie's boys, twinnie, me and the boy.

monster sunburn. the little booger fought the sunscreen like it was the plague. you'll be glad to know it's healed up nicely now, so please don't call child services.

more pics to come, my lovelies. i missed corresponding with you daily.

life is good.

bits of my weekend vol. 57; and it ain't over yet.

a few snaps from south florida. the boy is hanging with his co-bro's (cousin/brothers) and having a ball.

and i have sun burn on my sun burn.

pure heaven.

oh! i was able to spend some beach time with the amazing kelle hampton today at the isles of capri. be sure to check out her blog at kellehampton.com.

my amazing cousin sooz and family also were at the isles. visit them at buddybrew.com for the best coffee ever, or if you're in tampa, stop by.

by the way, the last shot is of my twinnie with the boy and her boy.

more to come, my lovelies.

need inspiration?

look no further than kelle hampton. she inspires me every day.

and ps: i so, so want to get a tiny tutu and fairy wings.

not for the boy, silly, i'm not that loco.

for ME! no, just kidding.

for my friend's little girl. it's just something i've got to do.

you know how it is.

happy tuesday.

photo by kelle hampton.

ONEderful nella.

remember this little pumpkin?

i met nella last year on a trip to south florida to spend time with my sisters.

well, little nella is turning one and her mom kelle is raising funds for the national down syndrome association in her honor.

the response has been overwhelming so far. her original goal was $15,000 and in just a week or so, donations are more than $50,000!

donating is quick and easy. do it now!
visit kelle's gorgeous and inspiring blog here.

sister-palooza part 4: final thoughts

our final day was a pool day.

could this be anymore fabulous?

i think not.

a little poolside feast was in order. these fish tacos knocked my socks off.

and then my dears, a little baby love.

here's blogstress kelle hampton's precious little nella cordelia.

the cuddliest, sweetest baby ever. (except for my own, of course.)

kelle never fails to inspire me. so it was super fun to get to see her.

read all about her adventures here.

and speaking of inspiring ... what a cool nephew i have. ashford is only 14 and already working at publix just to keep busy during the summer.

here he is pretending his aunties and mom aren't standing there pointing, smiling and taking pictures.

we are cruel. what can i say.

there's a smile.

later ashford's brother drake gave us a ride on his new golf cart.

i must say, he's a very careful driver.

and he didn't text even one time.

chardie, are you listening?

wait, what happened? weren't these two babies just a minute ago?

now they are looking suspiciously like almost-grown-ups.

they're going to love me saying that.

and lastly, the piece de resistance ... we topped off our amazing time together with a visit to my favorite naples eatery, sea salt.

be still my heart.

you get fresh bread to dip in fine olive oil and three kinds of sea salt.

we are all pretty nuts about salt.

chef fabrizio aielli's cuisine is divine.

we shared small plates, including this crispy calamari with green olives, pancetta, manchego, and spicy lime sauce.

this is the pizza of ahi tuna tartare, with wasabi cream cheese and sweet jalapeno truffle sauce. delish.

my favorite was the jumbo lump maryland style crab cake with mustard sauce.

please, may i have another?

it was the perfect ending to a fantastic sisters weekend.

truly, words and pictures cannot do it justice.

we were blessed with sunshine, amazing food and beautiful scenery, for sure. but that wasn't really the point.

it could have been cleveland in february (no offense, cleveland) and we sisters would have rocked it out.

there was gut-busting laughter, girl-talk that went long into the night, recipe-swapping as we chopped and sauteed, and singing at full volume in the car ...

it was magic.

we are sisters.

nothing could be better than that.

sister-palooza part 3a

day three was so action-packed it just won't fit into one post. so i broke it up for you.

thought you'd appreciate that.

chardie's neighbor tim took this group shot before we left for the isle of capri. it took all of five minutes and he was soaked in sweat by the time he was through.

did i mention the heat is off the charts?

thanks, tim. you're a good sport.

the isles of capri are a cluster of tiny unpopulated islands between naples and marco island.

people gather there with family, friends, kids and dogs to eat, fish, kayak, camp, swim and play.

the capri fish house is about as "old florida" as you can get.

it's run by a bostonian named mike. you've probably heard it mentioned by famous blogstress kelle hampton.

her pictures are much better than mine.

if margaritaville were a real place, it would look like this.

i like how people sign their dollars and staple them to the beams.

here's ours: yordy girlz rock!

the grouper fingers were epic.

out of this world.

after lunch we took a boat ride with owner mike.

he's just nice like that.

he took us to see where the dolphins feed. look closely.

and showed us around the islands.

i kept expecting to see gilligan and the skipper.

only if they were marooned here, they'd never want to leave.

paradise.

when the weather changes, you can see it coming a mile away.

quick, crazy rain showers blew through about once a day, giving us short breaks from the brutal heat.

the only thing that would have made the visit any nicer, is if kelle hampton had been there too.

she couldn't make it, so we stopped by her house the next day.

we're just pushy like that.

and yes, i got to hold little nella bean.

more on that soon ...

part 3b
part 4