{this nest}: The Week So Far

1. These girls are on my heart and mind almost constantly. Joan and Nakimbugwe. I miss their smiles and beautiful hearts. Their honesty and wisdom at such a young age. As I think about dresses (The Pillowcase Project), about Uganda, about traveling, about my own family... it's easy for me to get overwhelmed and feel completely incapable of doing any mite of good. So I just remember and know that in some moments, that's really all they need. Someone to remember them. To know them. To acknowledge their existence as valuable, precious, important.

2. The stories they told me, of such things I could never imagine. Death, disease, poverty. But never once did they beg for pity. They just asked to be heard and seen.

3. Back here at home, I'm trying to make sure I don't waste that which I do have. This means attempts at preserving, canning, pickling, and using way to much vinegar to the point which my husband practically begs me to stop.

4. Prepping a workspace for photos, for inventory, for my own sanity. I don't paint to make money. I paint because I love it. Because of this, I don't stop painting just because I'm not selling anything. This creates a space issue. So the wall has become a secondary storage space. Lord help our walls.

6. Breakfast on the go. Ever had a Tangelo?

7. At the center of it all, my family. This little one who has learned to grab a paint brush and "paint" while I work on home projects. She who "reads" when I read. "Sings" when I am humming. It's all too wonderful.

8. The produce co-op. I have never before needed to find so many recipes that incorporate fresh veggies. It's worth it for sure, but I feel really guilty when I can't use every last potato and onion.