Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Simple Joys

A day of simple joys....


~ watching, with excitement, as the caterpillar Reece found formed a "J" shortly after capture and then formed it's chrysalis, we think it's a painted lady, only time will tell


~ spending time by the water


~ spying the first wild raspberries, there was only a handful ripe, but goodness, they were so good


~ seeing frogs!




~ catching frogs


~ harvesting wild peppermint

At the end of the day when I load photos onto the computer it never ceases to amaze me just how much joy there is in the simple things. Honestly, I don't need big moments in my life, all I need are the small, joy filled moments, those are the ones that make me smile. You see, it is these moments that I tuck away in my heart, to be recalled in the days to come. Years from now I will remember walking hand in hand with my little man in the woods, I will remember catching frogs on a hot and humid day, I will remember the taste of those first wild raspberries, and I will remember the sweet smile of my little man as he sat by the water, lost in thought. There is magic in these moments, a sweet, sweet magic, and gosh, they make life so darn good.

What simple joys are filling your day?

34 comments:

  1. To find a unexpected letter in my mail box..full of kind words and homemade gifts!That brought me a lot of joy!!!:)

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    1. So happy to hear it arrived, and that it brought you a little joy. Have the most wonderful day my friend. xo

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  2. I love this. I have been trying so hard lately to be more aware of the simple joys that make up our days. I came across the phrase "The holy now" a few months ago and have adopted it as my own mantra. I also began a 100 day project in April of capturing a picture each day of an every day moment. At first I thought it would be hard, but it wasn't at all. It has opened me up to noticing all the tiny moments that make up this beautiful life we have!

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    1. Thanks Jen! Both of those things are wonderful, I love your mantra, so good. Our lives are full of simple joys, but they are often overshadowed, and we don't notice them. I am happy you have found the joy in noticing the simple things, and that you are soaking up life and all it's beauty. Enjoy my friend.

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  3. We haven't seen a frog yet but the toads are abundant around and in our pool and roadside :) Love the signs of your summer.

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    1. Oh yes, tons of toads here too, but frogs seem to have an extra special place in Reece's heart :)

      Thank you Karen :)

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    1. Thanks, it is a pretty great spot to hang out :)

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  5. I truly believe embracing these moments is at the root of my well being! All the little moments that emerge when our hearts and eyes are open.

    We need to start collecting caterpillars, I think ;-)

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    1. Oh mine too Coco, in so many ways. I find no matter the kind of day I have had, looking back on these small joy filled moments always brings a smile to my face and warms my heart.

      You most definitely do, my friend. So much fun to watch them move through each stage of metamorphosis.

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    2. So tell me about your butterfly house, there. Mattheus is very curious why kind of house w need to start collecting caterpillars!

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    3. It is just a simple bug catcher. We got it at the Dollar Store last summer :) We used to have butterfly habitat, but after a few seasons it had a few holes, and so last summer picked up a few bug catchers so we could continue to observe different bugs and butterflies.

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  6. simple joy with friends today, like a stop in the rush, so good today after cleaning up the house...

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    1. Just wonderful Sandra. Hope you are well my friend. xo

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  7. So true. And you're right, it's such a good place to be. This post also really made me miss frogs, such a memory of childhood! I can almost remember that gooey feeling :)

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    1. Thank you my friend. Sorry about that, but happy to bring back those childhood memories for you :)

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  8. So funny, but our kids caught a caterpillar in June and kept it in a bug jar. Well, it's spun a chrysalis last night too! We are all waiting now for a little miracle to appear. So wondrous and perfect for children to see.

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    1. How cool is that! It is so much fun to watch the process, we have done it a few times. Do you know what kind of butterfly it will be?

      Enjoy!

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  9. The photos, your words, I love every single thing about this post.
    I needed Reece here this morning, I almost stepped on a big frog! Shudder.
    I can handle the little ones, but the big bull frogs kind of give my the hebe jebe's.

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    1. Aw, thank you Tracey. Oh he would have loved to help you out Tracey, Reece and frogs are best friends :)

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  10. Simple joys for us today include jumping in puddles, an evening with friends at a local wading pool and a yummy homemade picnic for all. :-) Sounds like you had just the most gorgeous day. Wishing you many more! xo

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    1. Sounds just wonderful! We had a lovely day on this day, and since then, a few more. We are enjoying summer, and soaking it up as best we can. xo

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  11. They do make life so darn good. :) Precious.

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  12. You are so right! What a wonderful post...hope you are enjoying your week!xoxo

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  13. Simple joys, my first joy is snuggles with V in the morning, then checking on the chickens in the morning light, the last kiss before D heads out the door for work. Checking the mail, watching the wind blow through the trees in my backyard. Watch the clouds build over the mountain as we wait for rain.

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    1. Sounds beautiful KC. Definitely a life filled with simple joys. Soak them up my friend. xo

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  14. Love the pic by the stream. That was my fav thing to do as a boy, spend hours by the creek (aka drainage ditch) in our backyard looking for frogs, fish, and other things.

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    1. Thanks. That is a favourite spot for all of us :) Such a fun thing to do, glad you have fond memories of it.

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  15. You're right, those are the sweet magical moments that stay with us! That is one of the reasons I blog too, I find when I look back at the photos, the moments, record a thought or too it is easy to see and enjoy the small moments, the blessings. Sort of like a "gratitude journal". It reminds me to focus on the good!

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    1. They certainly do :) And totally reminds me to see the good too, and makes me so very grateful for this life I am leading.

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  16. These are especially wonderful joys today - could be something to do with how Summery they all are! Lots of simple joys round here too, almost all outside based too, but to pick one in particular - Maria bringing me a beautiful bunch of flowers from the garden.

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    1. Thanks Sally! Oh how I love when my little man brings me flowers. Always such a pleasure when little hands pick flowers to bring inside. Enjoy!

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