as cozy as spring

Happy Halloween!

 My little scarecrow and prairie girl are busy carving pumpkins while mommy the house elf slaves away at laundry and dishes.  

Our house was toilet papered last night.  Instead of the angry response the little troublemaker intended my husband and I both commented that he or she did a rather lousy job and we both felt we could have (and maybe did do many years ago) a much more artistic TPing.  

October has been fun but very busy and I hope I can sneak in a little more quiet time in November, or at least time to finish one single cup of coffee.  The ratio of coffee brewed to coffee consumed was far out of balance in October.

Anyway, happy Halloween!  Enjoy my spooky banner for one more day.  In the end, I rather liked it but I promise to put up something a little cozier tomorrow.  :)

Remembering

July 4th, 1999 (Boston, Massachusetts) - The day after my sister's wedding.  We headed downtown early and thought about getting a good spot to watch the famous fireworks show.  Instead we walked around the city.  I remember a church or two but mostly I remember how insanely hot it was.  Boston in July can get every bit as hot as Texas in July.  I sat on a blanket that evening with my husband.  There was a Japanese family beside us.  At one point I offered to take their picture.  There was an obvious language barrier, so this was done with smiles and gestures.  They gathered together and I snapped a shot.  I wonder if they remember me when they look at the photo.  After the fireworks, there was no train running to my sister's neighborhood, so my husband and I ended up walking from the nearest stop.  There were steep hills and plenty of them.  It was after midnight and still very hot.  I was so annoyed about the trains, but that dark walk in the still, quiet streets stands out very poignantly in my memory.

July 4th, 2000 - I was 31 weeks pregnant.  My parents had a barbecue to celebrate the 4th.  I took a long hot walk with my sister around the neighborhood.   Later that night I awoke to contractions one minute apart and spent a few tense minutes reading through all those stupid pregnancy books and finally, hesitantly called my doctor.  I spent the next few days in the hospital, confused.  The nurses would come in and sit on my bed and watch Wimbledon with me.  I have no idea why I was watching Wimbledon. 

July 4th, 2004 - 35 weeks pregnant this time and on "limited activity".  My almost 4yo daughter was scared at the neighborhood fireworks, so I carried her 2 miles back to the car on top of my giant belly.

  

July 4th, 2008  - I broke my toe.  So I stayed home from fireworks and instead hobbled around cleaning the house.  That was awful in such a trivial way.  Every day this summer I awake with a prayer of thanksgiving that my toe is not broken.

July 4th, 2009 - Mass with my family!  The four of us again at the neighborhood fireworks.  My husband and I enjoyed  80's rock from a really incredible band.  I teared up during the fireworks thinking about my deployed brother.  I took far too many photos of fireworks for my expat sister who probably won't see any this year (and mom, who will be home tomorrow!).  Again, I walked back home with a four year old on my shoulders rightly assuming that walking 2 miles with forty pounds on my shoulders cancels out any ice cream sundae (and cobbler!).

Outside my window right now, it is raining.  How wonderful!

Oh beautiful.

Happy Independence Day!  I'm always a wee bit surprised at the sense of gratefulness that hits me on July 4th.  I've never lived anywhere else, so I can't say for certain where the grass is the greenest, but I also can't complain about being here.  We are abundantly blessed.

My son woke near one o'clock this morning grumbling about his tummy.  I tried to talk him into falling back asleep when he began forcefully vomiting on me.  Learning nothing from the last go 'round, my instinct was to confine it to the bed, again ensuring seven loads of really awful laundry.  After a few minutes, I picked him up and carried him into the bathroom to clean us both off.  My daughter awoke in all the commotion and called out without a hint of irony, "Mama!  Happy Mother's Day!"  

It really has been a lovely morning with cards, kisses and presents, curling up with my daughter watching Barefoot Contessa, making plans to cook risotto later on this week.  But their joint comedic timing last night is what started this off as the best Mother's Day yet.

I wish the same to you (minus the stomach virus that wouldn't die).

To Remember

Just a few brief notes from the weekend - things I would otherwise forget.  The family Easter Egg Hunt was moved to Saturday due to bad weather on Sunday.  My aunt has a pleasant wooded area towards the back of her home and it's perfect for an adventurous and challenging Easter egg hunt.  I have a photo of my son in the act of tripping over some roots and spilling his basket - it was tragic if you judge by the sound of his sobbing.  And inevitably, my mischievous brother will hide an Easter egg in a pile of horse's, ahem, output to see which clueless child will go for it.

This left Sunday free for Mass and a bunch of lying around. :)  There were Easter baskets with new pajamas(!) and Legos sent from a very considerate aunt/godmother.  After every single egg he opened, my son would hold up the candy and ask, "Does this have a egg in it?  A nuts in it?" My husband made a delicious dinner of roast beef, mashed potatoes, asparagus, and fresh fruit and then relaxed to watch The Masters.  My son set about filling his Lenten Rice Bowl by surreptitiously raiding my husband's change drawer.  This was hilarious.  The best part of the day was Mass, of course, and receiving Communion while kneeling beside my husband.

And that's all, I think.  I'm sighing in a contented and relieved sort of way this morning, happily welcoming that pleasant lull that just follows a holiday.  This Lent was probably my best ever in the most important way.  I'll be vague there as I am increasingly shy about discussing my faith online.  Happy Easter friends!

Clearance Love

There is very little I enjoy more than getting a good deal.  I would love to get nothing on Christmas Day but a note from my dear husband saying, "We're buying all your gifts tomorrow."  But still~ I don't shop the after Christmas sales because there isn't a lot I need to buy.  However, today found us returning some shoes that were too small at a shop right next to a Williams-Sonoma.  I mean no one has that much self discipline, right?  Friends, I am fully equipped to serve you hot chocolate now.  I have the mugs, a really cheap milk frother (sp?), shortbread, and of course a wee bit of peppermint hot chocolate.  Oh so good!  

So I had a date with my husband in our dining room, eating clearance priced shortbread, sipping clearance priced chocolate from clearance priced mugs.  And feeling a bit better about winding my very not clearance priced yarn.

still winding... 

And then I planted some only slightly shrivel-y, slightly moldy clearance priced hyacinth bulbs in a mini mason jar.  Note to myself in a year: Hyacinth bulbs in a mason jar would make a cute teacher gift.  The paperwhites bloomed beautifully and are now dressing up our bare winter porch because we couldn't stand the smell anymore.  

It's a beautiful day and I dug into the garden a bit.  There are branches down all over the backyard and I need to sharpen my pruners for all the winter work that needs to be done.  We normally do all of our pruning this time of year because the city will take any and all branches at the Christmas tree recycling spot.  I'm planting freesias and a few more hyacinths for a decidedly sweet scented (clearance priced) spring garden.

OD

We splurged on a smoked turkey this year.  Our market only sold an eleven pound size which, according to the website, was enough to feed 25 people.  Or me.  No one in my immediate family seems to like smoked turkey, but it was rather pricey.  I can't just throw it away.  So I'm eating it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, three-o'clock-in-the-morning-toddler-can't-stop-coughing-might-as-well-eat-some-more-turkey...

Help.

It's been mighty busy around here and I hope to get things settled soon, but in the meantime..

Have you heard of Librivox?  It's free audiobooks available for download.  I stumbled upon it a few days ago looking for Lamb's Shakespeare tales (our spring literature focus).  I've only listened to the one selection, but it is lovely.  Has anyone used this?  And if so, why didn't you tell me about it? 

Still Life with cupcake

Ahhh.  That's so much better.  There is a small fire crackling, coffee, and flannel jammies.  I'm slowly winding the prettiest yarn ever into tiny little balls.  And when I tire of that, there's a wee bit of irreverent, yet orthodox, reading to be done.  And cookies to eat.  And naps.  Yes, I must cross that off my to-do list.

I'm also very happily, but slowly, thinking about our school plans for next term.  This is my most favorite time of the year.  I hope you all are enjoying a most peaceful Christmas season.

Christmas Eve, AM

Christmas Eve Menu:

Smoked Turkey

Steamed Broccoli

Potatoes (still in discussion...)

Mushroom Stuffing (or dressing for you detail oriented readers)

Cranberry Sauce

Rolls

Pumpkin Pie

Christmas Eve Cookies:

Thumbprints

Grandma's Black Bottom Cups

Treasure Cookies

more to be made for the rest of the week's festivities

I still have one gift to sew, one gift to embroider, one gift to sand, one gift to knit (almost done!) and one gift to buy.  But today I promised I would sit still with my children and husband in front of the fire and read our treasured Christmas picture books.  

There is always the 26th!  I always want to be "done early" but I've realized that I will fill every second I have available.  There is no "done".  There is a bit of peace in that. :)

My husband asked me to sew a tree skirt this year.  We've had a rather horrid piece of felt thrown down there for ten years.  And since he never asks me to sew anything, I hastily put this together.  It was looking rather sloppy, but rick-rack made everything all better. 

And now, back to the pie.  

Merry Christmas Friends!

South to north and north to south and I head west

"All the time the wind blew, shrieking, howling, wailing, screaming, and mournfully sobbing.  They were used to hearing the wind.  All day they heard it, and at night in their sleep they knew it was blowing."

Little House on the Prairie

It has been a windy December.  Wind from the south all day yesterday made it hot and dry.  Just at bedtime last night it turned and came from the north again, bitterly cold.

I'll be gone for a few days from here, sewing on Lucy's dress and tending to other responsibilities.  We wrapped up a little gift for our piano teacher.    

And really now - will I ever remember to iron before taking a photo?

And also - I have no idea what's up with the comments.  Any other typepad users having trouble?  I'm not getting any through email and it seems they are taking a while to show up here.