~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
Three quick notes first:
1. There's still time to enter this week's giveaway before it ends this evening!
2. Elizabeth Foss should have her post up for the summer reading group of The Little Oratory, with the podcast for chapter 4.
3. Don't forget to post pictures of your Little Oratory here on the special linkup! (If they're part of your {phfr}, post them in both!)
{pretty}
My father-in-law was in town last week, and my brother-in-law drove up as well. While they were here, Pippo went on his first two fishing trips. The first was a Father-Son-Grandson affair, but Molly and I tagged along on the second, mostly to take pictures.
Our main reason for stopping at this first place was because it was so beautiful; turns out it wasn't at all a good spot for fishing. No real shore, very shallow, etc. etc.
But the pretty flowers! Throw Mama a bone!
The boys had been off and running as soon as we pulled up, and I was still getting Molly out and organized when they turned around and started coming back again (this is why it looks like Pippo is trying to fish in the middle of a field). I set off leaping, bounding, frolicking through the field, to get close enough to crouch down and snap a few shots of Pippo in that sea of yellow — thankfully no one has a picture of that.
Also thankfully, the fishing spot we found was very pretty as well. And had fish in it.
Not that we caught any, of course. We had gotten a late start (more on that later) and had hoped to stop for more night crawlers on the way there (more on that, too), but the little bait shop was closed and we had to make do with what was in our tackle box. We weren't really expecting to catch anything, to be honest, but had fun anyway.
(Do you like how I use the pronoun “we” here? I had a baby on my back and a camera in my hands the whole time. Didn't touch a pole. But never you mind about that. I am here to encourage.)
Also, because I can't let a mid-June {phfr} go by without a flower photo, I will point out that our roses are blooming.
{happy}
This is where you can find us most afternoons these days.
Everyone here says that last summer was “so mild,” but it sure didn't feel that way to me. I was dying. I've decided, though, that not being in the third trimester of pregnancy really helps one bear the blazing hot weather. I'll get more opportunities to test this theory, I'm sure, since I don't think the heat has really hit its stride here yet.
But we're still putting in lots of hours at the splash park, and feeling very sympathetic to all you ladies (I'm looking at you, Sukie) third-trimestering your way through this summer.
{funny}
I got a phone call from a dear friend the other morning; we hadn't talked in months. The timing was perfect, since Pippo and his grandfather were about to settle down to play some cards and Molly was finishing up her breakfast. So I happily caught up with my friend, wiped up the baby and set her loose, and then worked on cleaning up the kitchen while chit-chatting away.
Then I heard another woman's voice in the living room and popped my head out to see who it was: turns out Pops was a little rusty on the rules for the games, and Pippo's attempts at explaining them weren't quite sufficient. So the three of them were all sitting there studying YouTube videos on how to play Crazy Eights and War before settling down to their game.
We take these things very seriously.
{real}
This was the reason why we got a later start to our fishing trip than we'd intended: my dear husband had (very helpfully) run to the grocery store for a few things for me, and when he was (very helpfully) putting them away, he knocked over my (very full) pitcher of iced tea.
Of course it managed to splash on pretty much every last surface of the fridge.
The good news is that my fridge is now sparkling clean inside (don't think about the shelves on the door. That is a project for another day). In the course of cleaning, I even discovered that there's a second light in there, right between the top two drawers. I replaced the bulb, which revolutionized my life.
Seriously, those 40 little watts (not pictured) make my fridge look so much fancier.
The bad news is that it took us most of an hour to get it cleaned up, since of course I insisted on using it as an excuse to clean the sticky shelves I'd been eyeing recently. My poor husband.
As we were deep in the middle of cleaning it all up, he confessed, “This isn't even the worst thing I did today.”
Uh-oh. What was that?
“Really,I guess I started a few days ago. I forgot to take the night crawlers out of your car, and baked worms smell… really bad.”
(Let the record show he had already at that point taken care of the remains, and there was nary a whiff of them left by the time I got in the car.)
[inlinkz_linkup id=417582 mode=1]
Sunny-Gem says
My boyfriend took me fishing for the first time back in April. Never held a rod in my life before. He was VERY patient. He lives in Scotland so it wasn’t nearly so calm weather wise as your lovely photos are!
Christine says
It looks like you are having a wonderful, relaxing summer at the splash park and fishing. When accidental messes are made at our house, I tell my husband and children, “Look at it as an unexpected opportunity to get something clean.” I like those unexpected opportunities. Your refrigerator looks nice and clean. 🙂
Blair says
Looks like a lovely fishing and photography outing! And a daily splash pad outing sounds perfect.
Cecilia says
Beautiful roses. I am still working on getting my Mary’s garden going. I can see why you would be at the splash pad. It’s so hot here in Mississippi but we are in the swim team so we are taking advantage of the pool. God bless you and your family.
Anne says
haha! I laughed a couple of times during this post. Also, your roses are beautiful and I love the pic of Pippo in the field of flowers, worth the undignified scramble. 🙂
Mary says
Ooh. Cooked worms. We’ve had some funky smells in our car but I can’t say that’s been one of them. (Yet!!) Those fishing shots are gorgeous!
Jennifer says
I have a possibly silly question. I think we have the same refrigerator. I can’t figure out how to clean that area between the shelf and the drawer runs. Everything else seems to come out but the shelf above the drawer. Any suggestion? Thanks.
Rosie says
Hmm… Mine did come out – it didn’t come out quite the same way as the others, but after I took the drawer out, I could take the shelf out too. So maybe it’s not the same? Or maybe you just haven’t yet made enough of a mess in your fridge to motivate yourself to figure that one out?
Colette says
I’m pretty sure the only time my fridge gets a deep clean is when someone spill something. Or my mother-in-law is coming to visit!
Maurisa says
Fishing is such a great family activity. Our little guy loves to throw rocks in the river and scare the fish down to the actual fishers 😉
Love the splash pad photo. So cute!
Mrs. Pickles says
Ha — I’m almost grateful when something spills in the fridge because it gives me a great excuse to clean!
The pictures are lovely. Pippo is so blessed to have such good men in his life.
Libby Jane says
Looks like a dear friend and I will read the Little Oratory together. She follows you and claims cultural catholicism but no creedal faith–so I’m expecting great fodder for conversation and prayer!
Also, many thanks for turning me on to Rumer Godden. I loved loved The Kitchen Madonna–and then In This House of Brede, where I found how like religious life our family life is, as you all always are telling us! Now I am relishing an Episode of Sparrows. What a treasure her works are! And yours! Thanks always.
Stephanie says
Oh I love the baked worms confession, classic. We have experienced sea critters that were “forgotten” in the car. The youtube tutorial on card playing is so cute…I thought maybe they were skyping lol God bless!
shwell says
well, my husband has yours beat on the smelly dead thing in the car…………last year in June I was convinced something bad had been spilt in the car, but everyone else denied smelling anything. it was worst when I was in the passenger seat and we went around a corner. About 10 days later I was dropping the older boys at baseball camp and opened the back of the minivan, the rear row of seats happened to have been folded down, and peaking out from under one of the middle row of seats I spied a dead lobster!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I drove right home (1/2 mile) and made my husband come out and see it, I was sure if I threw it away he wouldn’t believe me, and he looked at it and said with a straight face “I TOLD YOU I lost a lobster”…….then when I told the kids about it, one piped up to tell me he had seen it a few days before but didn’t want to interrupt me while I was driving to tell me about it…….LOL, it’s funny now, and at the time all my friends thought it was hilarious, but none of them would drive anywhere with me. Just for the record my husband is a lobster fisherman, so the kids thought the smell was just like being on the boat.
Rosie says
!!!! That. Is. Terrible!
“I told you I lost a lobster.” Hilarious. (And Horrible.)
Haley says
That picture of Pippo is gorgeous! You guys can enjoy the fishing, I’ll enjoy the scenery… 😉
Woman of the House says
Hurray for visitors! I love the picture of Pippo in the field of flowers. The scenery in OK is spectacular!
Nicole Hallford says
Baked worms, omg! That cracked me up!
And I’m with you – I’d rather clean the fridge shelves than the door compartments ANY DAY.