Mother's Day "It's Not Really Tea Mom" Tea

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a special Mother's Day Tea at Betsy's preschool.  Although, as she kept reminding me, "It's not really going to be tea, Mom, because we're just kids."  I assured her that pretend tea was fine, too.

She greeted me at the door with a rainbow colored tissue paper flower and led me to my seat.  The teachers explained how the children had done all the work themselves, from cleaning the classroom to setting the table and arranging flowers in vases.  Betsy beamed as she poured me a cup of lemonade and served me a fruit kabob that she had assembled and a cup of "dirt" with a gummy worm in it.

Next to my plate and napkin was a sheet of Little Known Facts About My Mommy.  Here's me, according to my eldest:

Age: 41

Hair Color: Brownish black

Height: 1 1/2 feet

Weight: 100 (Apparently another student wrote 5 million pounds.  Oof.)

Hobbies: Read and play with me and Abigail

Favorite Food: Bok choy

Mommy's Job: To keep me and Abigail safe and play with me and Abigail

Why She Loves Me: Because she likes what I do and because I chase after Abigail

Thank you Betsy, and thank you teachers, for a most lovely morning.  I will treasure it always.

These Days

These days we are waiting.  Waiting to hear about some potentially very good things, but waiting nonetheless, with spring and summer plans on hold for now.

We are also:

 Enjoying lots of time outdoors this spring, aka the time before too many stinkbugs and mosquitoes.

Appreciating anew the beauty of our neighborhood.

Taking a welcome break from packing.

Taking a welcome break from keeping the house in show condition.  Because these children are very special and extremely talented in keeping the house in a more, um, creative condition.  The scene pictured below happened in the two minutes it took me to put leftovers on their plates for dinner.  (Not pictured: the paper towels woven into the backs of the dining room chairs.)

I enjoy the placement of the cat scratching post right next to the couch, for the ultimate in cat relaxation and grooming.

Easter Eggs

 Easter is coming!  And dying eggs is a perfect distraction for a certain teething toddler I know.

I highly recommend outdoor egg dying, by the way.  Much less mess to clean up. 

We do have to work on teaching her the properties of eggs, however, such as "eggs are not bouncy balls," and "if your egg does not fit in the jar, try taking one out instead of cramming yours in."

Ah well, we had fun, and these can always be eaten sooner rather than later.

Moving On

So much has been going on these days, I've not had time to sit down and blog about it.  If you look carefully at the family photo from Valentine's Day, you'll see a big stack of cardboard boxes behind us.  The rumors are true: we are moving. 

As you can imagine, I'm getting all kinds of help with the packing.

I've been reading with interest about those doing the Forty Bags in Forty Days project for Lent, because we have easily gotten rid of that much, plus all the things we're storing (so they're gone for now).  It is amazing how little need to get by, and how much extra we are used to having.  We're the type of people who tend to save things "in case we need them later for some project," and it's a relief to be rid of the usual guilt that comes from getting rid of things.

It's also fun to rediscover some old treasures.  Check out my late Great Aunt Nora's Mad Men-era clip-on earrings that Betsy is modeling.

It's a surreal place to be, not knowing where we're going.  We have ideas, we're doing research, and in some says we're enjoying the freedom that comes with possibility.

But it does seem strange not to be starting our garden. 

Some of us have fingers that itch to dig in the dirt.

Happy Valentine's Day (A Day Late)

Valentine's Day dinner at our house, 2012. Pictured, left to right: Captain Pretty Man, Goofy-Goofy, Belle, and Big Blue.  Everyone was styled by the five-year-old except for Goofy-Goofy, who refused all dress-up clothing and only consented to be photographed with her beloved water in hand.

Things have been quiet on the blog lately because things have been decidedly not quiet at home.  More on that later, but first a few words from Betsy, shown here with the valentine that she made for herself and brought to school to put in her own bag:

"I made a valentine for myself because they have candy in them and I think I would be fussing if I didn't get my own.  And other kids would, too.  A lot of people would.  But I made one for myself because then I would be happy."

Of course she gave valentines and candy like this to the other kids, and was surprised and delighted to receive quite a few in return.

Love yourself and others, and be pleasantly surprised when you're loved back.  A formula for a pretty happy life.  Or she could expand that by about 200 pages and she's got a self-help book.

Making Christmas, Part 2

Behold, more Christmas crafting fun!

Dolls that I made for the girls:

 

This was another of the projects I'd planned for years, and finally accomplished this Christmas.  I'm so happy with how they turned out, these little muslin dolls with embroidered faces.   They were actually pretty easy and only took a few after-bedtimes to make, patterning to finishing.

Making Christmas, Part I

We had a very crafty Christmas gifts this year, with much secret sewing in the dining room and routing on the porch.  There were some group efforts and some individual projects, all done with much care and love.  In fact, that I don't know who enjoyed these handmade gifts more, the givers or the receivers. 

Here is the finger labyrinth Matthew carved for me, modeled after the one that I've walked at Shrine Mont, which is based on the one at Chartres Cathedral:

A little bit of that Shrine Mont peace and quiet in my own home.  Perfect!

The mini-quilt I made for my mom, loosely based on a picture I took while backpacking in Shenandoah National Park:

Snows

Today we had some unexpected snow showers.  Here I am today with Betsy under a tree in our front yard:

And here we are under the same tree, nearly 5 years ago.

I'm not sure which of us has aged more.  But we both still do think the snow is a pretty wonderful thing to see.

Random Photo of the Week

I do love a toddler in sunglasses.

Also, apparently it is spring again here.

There is a Time for Everything

And a season for every activity under the heavens.  (Ecclesiastes 3)

A time for bringing home our tree,

The Last Day of Vacation

It has been a good vacation, and perhaps the most peaceful in years.  We didn't travel.  We didn't host out-of-town visitors.  Matthew has been home for nearly two weeks.  All wonderful things.

Tomorrow we Go Back to School and Work and Get Back Into a Routine.  But today.  Today we are visiting with friends and indulging in winter fun:

 

Kitty tummy!

Happy day.

Time Marches On

Sometimes while wearing her mom's slippers.

At dinner tonight, we went around the table and took turns naming our favorite parts of 2011.  We have so much for which to be thankful, but most of all we are thankful for the family and friends who have shared the journey with us.

Happy New Year to you!

The Best Kind of Medicine

A warm day in December,


Fresh air and sunshine,


 

And plenty of space in which to run.  Some of my favorite cure-alls.

The ball was a Christmas present from little sister to big, with big declaring that it was just the kind of ball she had always wanted.  Because sisters know these things.

Improvements

Today I am thankful that we seem to be gaining in the battle against the stomach thing that has waged war on the family this week.

I wouldn't say that we've won yet, but we're getting better.

These December Days

Christmas pageant tech is in full swing.  Sets are now fully painted and out of the living room.  If you see them at church, be sure to look for Betsy's gold glitter paint around the star.  "See, Mom, I told you we needed the glitter paint!" she reminds me, and she was right.  Four-year-olds do know about the glitter.

Pageant lighting and sound tech means it is now Club Pepper in the living room.  Matthew taught the girls about dimmers, and now the girls take turns as board op for our in-house disco.  And by take turns I mean fight.  We hear a lot of, "No, you go dance, I'm doing the lights!"

Some Christmas crafts are complete.  Teacher presents were finished and gifted this morning, the last day before winter break.  Other things are still in progress.  I have to stop myself from starting new projects at this point.  I still wonder what secret things Matthew is making with all that wood.

I love that Betsy initiated creating gifts as well.  As a person who'd rather spend time at home with needles, thread, fabric, and yarn than fighting traffic to park at the mall, I am glad.  And I'm proud to think that she might take after her parents in this way.

Cookies are being baked--and eaten--and baked again.  Abigail proclaims them "Yumyum!"  We're becoming skilled at adapting recipes to accommodate various food allergies.  I mean no, those cookies weren't quite right, we need to make more!

Abigail continues to bring in this year's crop of ornaments.  It looks like she'll have quite the haul.  Every day, if ornaments appear (or re-appear) on the branches that she can reach, she carefully plucks each one from the Christmas tree and places it in her little blue bucket.  She is quite helpful.  She also continues to assist St. Nicholas by leaving presents in our shoes.

In general, we're doing less running around to events and more making Christmas at home, and it's been good.  More peaceful.  We're having fires in the fireplace.  Singing along with carols on Pandora.  Listening to the whir of the mixer and the hum of the sewing machine.  Matthew and I may still be wondering if we'll finish everything in time, but it's a fun challenge.

And if you ask Betsy, she can always tell you exactly how many days are left until Christmas.

9. The Perfectly Decorated Home

Does your living room look like this?

If it does, I'm a little bit jealous, because my living room currently looks more like this:

6. Dueling Advent Calendars

If you happen to have two or more children, you can ratchet up the anticipation of opening up the doors on the advent calendar each day by giving each child a completely different kind of calendar.

I did it!

I finished my 2011 NaNoWriMo Novel!  It required powering through 6,000 words in the last two days, writing late at night while standing in the kitchen with a baby on my back, and getting up very early to sneak in more writing before the kids were awake.  It's very much in first draft form.  But I did it.

Betsy was with me when I finished, and clicked the button to submit it to the word count validator.

And here's my winner's badge to prove that I did it:

More thoughts on the whole thing later.  Now it's time to rest my aching arms, and to have breakfast with my big girl!

Thankful Ten

Things for which I am thankful this year, in no particular order:

1.  Caffeine.  Why did I resist it for so long?  Grad school, first kid, I said no.  It wasn't until I became a stay-at-home parent that I regularly bowed to the power of this miraculous and life-giving force.  What was I waiting for?  A muddled mind on this matter: a clear indication of needing caffeine*.

2.  Cheese.  Just all of it.  Brie.  Gouda.  Cheddar with caramelized onions.  I'm even thankful for that vegan rice milk cheese, which is not much like cheese, but still decent on a pizza, and better than no cheese at all.

3.  Songs We All Know.  Can you imagine birthday parties without "Happy Birthday?"  "Uh, here's your flaming cake."  "Thanks."

4.  Hugs.  Nature's true miracle drug, soother of wounds, bestower of love and affection.  Also, a good way to suck body heat from your partner, if you happen to be cold-blooded and have a warm-blooded partner like I do.

5.  Sticks.  Good for building fires and smacking things, and for making fishing poles, tree forts, and fantastic fake antlers.

6.  Saying Wow.  And not just because my littlest began to say it this week.  Try it yourself, go find some things to say wow about.  I'll wait.  Now don't you feel better?  Wow!

7.   Dressing Up.  As a person who wears slippers for the majority of my work day, I love wearing nice things once in a while.  And the cats appreciate having more luxurious materials to shed upon.

8.  The Color of Cranberry Sauce.  I don't mean the kind in a can, I mean the kind made on the stove with cranberries, sugar, and water.  I've been fortunate enough to see a lot of beautiful things in this life, but few can rival the color of cranberry sauce.

9.  Traveling, and Not Traveling.  I love to go exploring.  But sometimes, like this weekend, I am quite glad to be staying home.

10.  Good Books.  They feel good to read, and they're good for you.  I'll never be able to read them all, but I'll die trying.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

*No matter how much I reassure you on this matter, however, do not let me have a second cup of coffee.  I quickly turn from peppy and productive to angry and jittery.  A second cup of tea should be okay, but a third might be risky.  Be thankful I have told you this.

Days 9 & 10

The writing has been a little harder, but I met my goals.  I wish I had time to go back through what I've written, to get a better sense of where I'm going and how I want to structure the rest of my time, but the joy and the torture of NaNoWriMo is that I can't go back and rethink.  I just have to keep going forward if I want to make it to 50k.

A few other positive side effects:  I can't spend time on Facebook hearing about the great artistic things my friends are doing instead of doing my own artistic things.  Since creative work begets creative work, I've sketched out a half dozen more cartoons.  (Yes, this blog will again have content other than me blathering on about trying to write.)  I have a whole list of Christmas presents I want to make.  And Betsy and I made felt carpets for her dollhouse today, and a felt garden dotted with sunflowers, and a felt swimming pool, just because we wanted to.

Day 9 Word Count:
2,033/2,000

Day 10 Word Count:
2003/2000

Total Word Count:
19,234/50,000 (38%)

Answers to my frequent question, "How did this happen?" which I received on days 9 & 10:
"I almost did this great handstand in the box..."
"Blue food coloring..."
"Dada..."