nuggets :: let it go

nuggets :: little bits of the season in photos and words from the last week

The new year started out with a purging frenzy in our household.  I dug in on January 1st and tackled desk drawers, desk files, magazines, bookshelves, wardrobe closets for our entire family, the junk-catcher-dresser-top that lives in Grady's room, spice drawers & food pantry cabinets, the freezer and linen closets.  This business has gone on strong for a week around here and I've barely scratched the surface on this little Martha Stewart-fueled shakedown on Johns Street. 

*Stuff* really weighs me down and I just love the feeling and process of sorting, labeling, purging and debating whether or not I really need this thing.  And just how much space I'm willing to fork over for it.  The more I do this, the more ruthless I become.

It's sort of amusing how much stock we give to our things.  I like being surrounded by beautiful objects, sentimental tchotchkes and a freshly set table.  And when it all shakes out, I'm pretty damned sure I'm really not going to miss that can of expired kidney beans or the half-used tube of oh-so-wrong-for-me coral lipstick.  There is something absolutely freeing about the ability to let go of *stuff*.

And I have vowed to keep this purge alive all throughout the month of January.  I have to admit, after one week I feel like I could quit - but I'm going to push through and keep moving from space-to-space, room-to-room, building-to-building around our property and hopefully feel better for it come January 31st.  I've even enlisted the help of my husband and while he's not a maniac like I am, he slowly joined the crazy train and is getting in the spirit with clothing donations and a big 'ole office purge.  Love that man.

Last Friday my car hugged the rugged coast for the 45-mile trek up to The Sea Ranch Lodge for a work-related meeting and tour of the property.

I drove about three hours round trip in total silence.  No phone.  No podcasts.  No scanning  through the channels on the radio.  Just me and my thoughts.  Oh, and the incredible view.

I am in utter amazement at the beauty that surrounds me on a daily basis.  I stopped along the highway and took a few pictures.  Made a few notes to myself and got back in the car.  Such an inspired way to start the weekend and a bit of a reminder to continue to slow down, take it all in and appreciate where I am in life, in proximity to the ocean and in this natural world.

Lately, my kid is into gaming.  Not on a handheld device, television or computer.  Oh, no.  He's into trying to whip his mother and father any chance he can get in good old fashioned Jenga. 

There's a lot of trash-talking and banter flying around our dining room table these days.  Jenga, Uno, Monopoly, Battleship, Yahtzee, Scrabble and on and on.  I absolutely love this time together.  Even when I lose (which is very often).

You know that movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray?  Yeah, so I hate that movie.  It drives me mad every time the day starts over.  Well, it just so happens that I'm actually living that movie.  We are on day 27 of the plastic snake making an evening appearance in my bed.  Under the pillow?  Yep.  Under the sheets?  Uh-huh.  Creatively displayed on the headboard.  Done!  Oh, this boy thinks he is so clever and hilarious.  He cracks himself up.  

I just love this picture of the kids (G + his God sisters).  I had the pleasure of taking them to the de Young Museum to see the permanent collections and wander from room-to-room following their lead.

I enjoyed watching them run from one thing to the next with such excitement and total abandon.  Pausing every so often to notice the different mediums and names of favorite art pieces.  Climbing trees, befriending dogs and people and the excited way they chat about pieces of art they remember from their last visit.

This piece is Black Moon, 1959 by Louise Nevelson and is G's newest fascination at the de Young.  He was immediately drawn to it and learned it was made of wood, paint & nails.  He wants to try and make his own.  Oh, my.  Where ever will we put that?

We hit the museum that day, as well as the Academy of Sciences across the way and boy did we need a treat after all that looking, talking and art appreciating and science facts.  We stopped at Lala's Creamery in Petaluma for the sweetest treats and the kids quizzed each other on random facts.  Grady busted out his new knowledge of the Plimsoll line and really impressed his mother.  The girls?  Not so much.

Okay, so we received a new "green" bin from our garbage company just before New Year's Eve.  Grady was so excited when he rolled it onto our property.

He ran in the house and grabbed a stack of books, a pillow, his baby blanket a flashlight and an empty Altoids tin.


Me:  Where are you going with all that?  
The Boy:  Um, nowhere.

He jumped in the bin, used the Altoids tin to prop the lid up a bit and to allow a little air to come in and quickly set about reading.  He did this for days.  If we were looking for him and couldn't find him - we looked in the bin.  I find this very amusing and these photos are from this past Saturday afternoon.  His father took this as a sign that he should perhaps take a break from work and take him to the Tin Tin movie (which he loved).  When they arrived back home, guess what he did?  Yep, he jumped back in the "green" bin and picked up right where he left off.

Sunday happened to be Steve's birthday eve and Grady wanted to bake the annual Hecht Kahlua Kake by himself (minus the frosting).  He was so proud and offered to lick all of the spoons & bowls clean for me.  See exhibit A, above.

Steve Hecht circa 1987.  Wow, right?  Look at that head of hair, those baby blues and the sweet suit jacket.  Happy birthday, my love.  Thanks for being born.  

Gee, I wonder who Grady looks like?  Hecht, Jr. is what he's taken to calling himself these days (even though talking about yourself in the third person is a little creepy...).

The guys are going on a road trip to Southern California tomorrow and I'm sure going to miss them.

And their hair.