i heart spring

i remember why spring is my favorite season.

we just spent 10 days in seattle. it was the last two weeks of february and spring was already there.

crocus dancing in full color, forsythia budding, rhododendrons in bloom and bud, flowering cherrys beginning to burst, new growth was everywhere.

and everything else was green.

we pruned and weeded the gardens. we dug up crunchy carrots. we took walks in the woods. while the kids rested, i read on the back porch in glorious sunshine (yes, i did have a blanket and a hot drink, but i was outside!)

and then seattle got their second snowstorm of the season. seattle doesn't get much snow. what they do get is wet and heavy and usually gone by noon.

tangent: seattle gets a lot of criticism about their reactions to snow,particularly the drivers. i was reminded how dangerous it really can be. the snow is wet, but often re-freezes overnight creating a sheet of ice on very hilly terrain. this is a bad combination even if you have four-wheel-drive. since they rarely get snow, there are only a couple plows, a few salt/sand trucks. it is very different from areas where snow is common and there is equipment to handle the road conditions. just saying, don't knock it until you try it.

we rolled the head of a snowman to uncover green grass underneath. then dug a carrot out of the garden, cleaned it off in the snow and stuck it in the snowman's face.

that's when i realized i really miss spring. this snow stuff i was playing in felt like the spring i get in Minnesota (except this kind of snow wouldn't come until the end of march and underneath is dead, brown grass and it takes another month or two AFTER the snow melts for the earth to thaw and life to grow!) essentially, we don't get spring in minnesota. last year it lasted exactly one day, then went right into summer heat. i miss spring. it was my favorite season. having this little taste of REAL spring (sans the very out of place snow storm) brought back that sweetness.

being outside in a sweater instead of a coat

working in the garden before there is anything to plant,

then starting the garden with a small crop of cold loving veggies before going gangbusters.

splashing in rain puddles

cool rain

green as the backdrop for everything

color emerging slowly

no, you can't really grow a good tomato in seattle. you look out the window on summer mornings before you put on short and flip flops. fall color often gets washed away with a good rain. seattle isn't a winter wonderland.

but spring in seattle shines!

we love you. we need you.

we went to the wednesday night community dinner this week. we always love going and having a chance to hang out with people in such a casual environment. (right, and it is one less meal i have to think about planning!) this week was extra special. not in a really obvious way, but in a subtle way, perhaps just to me. i was particularly aware of the relationships that my children have built with others in our community, all on their own. they are a mere 2 and 4, but would consider nearly everyone present a good friend. when someone would pull up, i would hear one of the kids exclaim who had just arrived, "look who is here!! dougy!!". they would run and greet the new arrival with a hug or high five. our hosts live right by a railroad track which was an immediate attraction. jackson convinced at least four people to take him for four individual walks up the steep hill and explore the tracks and bridge. claire knew she could ask anyone to help her reach some food and they would accommodate her. after the meal my kids were in the kitchen having a spontaneous dance party with a group of adults, uninhibited, letting their limbs fly, and making up their own moves.
later, i saw jackson sitting on a bean bag with one woman, then later with two others. my first thought was amusement, projecting a future snuggle time in a bean bag with a lady. in reality i was so overwhelmed by the love in our community. love we have for our friends, love they have for us. our friend, jessie, told me that he had called her over, "come sit with me! i really like you jessie!", he told her.
something right is going on here. it makes me glad that they are comfortable with who they are, they have confidence to be themselves around others, and are developing relationships with my friends.
this gives me assurance for those teen years too, that perhaps they'll be talking to some of my friends if/when they isn't talking with me.
so, here's to you, special friends!
thank you for investing in our lives
thank you for seeking to know my children, as individual little people.
thank you for caring for us.
we certainly can't do this parenting thing alone and are so grateful for a solid community!

ooooowwie! a fun contest

i love contests, and i love these camera bags!

if i win, i promise to use the camera bag and take even more photos with a new camera! but honestly, i love my camera and would rather have the camera bag

it reminds me of when my mom, the self-appointed compulsive contestant, entered to win free groceries for a year and won the big screen television. my family has never had a television, and mom sold it.

some success, some not so much.

the dinner i made for supper club this week was beautiful! really, lovely.

sadly, it didn't taste as good as it should have. how can chicken slowly cooked in my best broth yet and wine NOT taste good? fresh herbs, vegetables in season. some of the veggies were overcooked and the flavor was rather bland. next time we'll roast the veggies separate and add them at the end. overall, very disappointing. but still beautiful. and i love that blue cast iron dutch oven.


on the other hand, these macaroons were A-Mazing! and gluten free! and simple! and so tasty!
four ingredients: coconut, honey, almond extract and eggs (i love that there was still hay stuck to the eggs!). we added chopped almonds to the dough.
heat. mix. roll into balls. bake. eat. share some with friends.

we all got a shower today - that alone is pretty successful! we count on a friday shower at swimming lessons, but this week the Y had no hot water. you aren't going to see me getting kids all wet if there isn't any hot water to lure them out of the pool! jackson's feet had black outlines from making snowshoes yesterday out of cardboard. claire's fingernails were long and filled with dirt. where did she find that dirt when there are feet of snow covering the ground? after showers we all painted our nails. they love it and it is such a fun bonding time for us. we have to figure out things to do and talk about while we wait for our nails to dry. claire gave us a tutorial on the plumbing at the sink. jackson couldn't decide whether my "red" was truly red because it sure looked pink. that's okay, he really likes pink, and choose one foot to be entirely pink and the other entirely green. claire choose pink on the first three nails and green on the two little ones.

a little catch up

the list is long, so a list it will be! thanks a.borealis for the idea!

• our first christmas as a family of four was pretty dreamy. a quiet morning just being together, savouring the gift opening (which was extra quiet because of the cloth bags i made for wrapping instead of paper!!)
• its a little overwhelming to think about the new traditions we get to start with them. exciting and overwhelming. i want to be intentional, but am feeling like i am just one step ahead (and sometimes completely winging it) and just can't find the time to think ahead.
  
• hubby and i generally don't exchange gifts. i have not kept up on my mending very well, so i worked hard to repair a stack of his pants and wrapped those up.
• i was surprised to receive a gift from him - a sewing table with a lift!!
  
• so great that the thing that has kept me sane this winter, sewing, is something that he appreciates as well!
  
• i have been wanting a sewing machine for years, and "sort of" shopping for one, for years. i finally got one and LOVE IT! i have a whole list of projects and photos to post, at a future date.
• this winter is way more fun with kids. they both love being outside. claire understands the value of mittens now. they "work" together to shovel and create, and eat snow.
• it has been really cold, so our outside time is limited.
  
• but, we have had really fun craft time
• hubby built the kids a work table for christmas. it is white board, so they can color on it, and magnetic, so they build all kinds of structures with these sticks and balls i got free at the BD&A sale (where my sibs work). it has a little lip, so things don't roll off the table. AND, the legs are adjustable so the table can become a vertical work board!
  
• it was the hit, coming second to the green nail polish jack got in his stocking :)
• claire's fav gift was the orange. ahhhh, love the simplicity of my food lover.
  
• hubby grew up with a fun tradition that we started in our home: his grandpa would re-stuff the stockings at new years, filled with fruit and nuts! the kids loved it!!
• both kids really latched onto the santa part of christmas. i am not into santa, and certainly didn't initiate the conversation, but am not going to tell them it is a lie and prevent them from using their imagination (or shaming other kids from believeing) the concept is awfully close to believing in an unseen God!
• but...this santa thing just isn't quitting! just this morning we were sitting on the bean bag and claire glanced over her shoulder towards the fireplace, "santa coming down the fire pit?" she asked with a hesitancy.
  
• since both the kids have expressed a bit of concern for this, we have responded that all stranger, and friends for that matter, knock at the front door for us to let them in. it is really disturbing to think of a stranger coming into your house while you are sleeping - even if it is to leave a gift! and for our family....and who knows what jackson is thinking about our real life home invasion...it puts a whole new spin on this santa coming down the chimney thing. boo.
• claire loves baby jesus and "jope-seff"
• she sings "silent night", "frosty the snowman" "jingle bells" and "happy christmas to you" constantly.
• every time we see a home decorated with christmas decorations, the kids yell, "CHRISTMAS!!!!!"
  
• chores! jackson is really loving having chores! he thinks it is so cool that he can clear the table and wants to help load the dishwasher too! he is my square folder (folds any clean laundry that is a square shape) and claire is the sock matcher.
  
• they still like to destroy a pile of folded laundry, but...i'm trying to look at the bright side of things.
• speaking of bright.....it has been a long winter. i know, i just said it has been great, but it has also been long. as much as i anticipated it being difficult for me, and have tried to be proactive about my mental state, i have really been battling. depression? maybe. seasonal affective disorder? probably. it is so hard to get enough sunlight, hard to remember to take extra vit d. and, still not getting enough sleep. and, only wanting hot beverages i am sure i am a little dehydrated too.
• ironic that we just finish The Long Winter in the little house series. we have certainly related to the ways that laura describes the isolating feelings of a cold, dark winter.
  
• and reminded us how many resources we have! stores to buy food, instead of starving. transportation, instead of being trapped for days inside. community, instead of seeing only family for an entire winter!!!
• seriously, how did Ma do it? four kids, teeny tiny house. did she battle with depression?
  
• supper club has been a lifesaver! i don't have to think about what we are having for dinner every night. dinner prep is simple. other people's food taste so good!
• jackson is really into writing notes to people. he has spent hours carefully drawing a picture, making an envelope and using his own tape to secure the note. we address and stamp and mail the little treasures to special people on his mind.
• i really hope to get back into regular blogging.....ni-night!
  

top ten million things for the week

1. art stuff with kids - we have been doing so much craftiness together!
2. sewing and knitting - i have been sewing again, for fun! its fantastic - i'll try to post some pics
3. my first eggnog latte of the season - it is gone too early after the holidays, and never here soon enough, but this week the coop started serving! not much going on? i prefer to say that i appreciate the little things!
4. fall color - our early snow made me fear we wouldn't actually get any fall color, but it turned brilliant this week! and now we will have leaf "clutter" for the next few weeks.
5. pumpkin patch - an adventure with our neighbors on a perfect fall afternoon
6. supper club - afternoon freedom (an entire post will be dedicated to this glorious breakthrough)
7. amazing conversations with the kiddos (quotes to follow)
8. remembering to take my vitamins - or training my kids to remind me as they remember to take theirs
9. apples from our friend transformed into a winter supply of dehydrated apples, apple crisp, applesauce and soon, apple pie!
10. badger balm -soothing a former 1/5-2 hour bedtime routine (including multiple calls for potty breaks and reminders) into a slick book-smooch-snuggle-goodnight!

signs of summer

may 20
backyard bbq
8pm and it's still light
naked kids running thru the sprinkler
sticky limbs clinging to clothing, each other
no difference in temperature between inside and outside

when birthday become a week long celebration

wearing pink stripped socks
complementary eggnog latte
mini homemade chocolate cake delivered on a plate to my kitchen
the happy birthday song sung all day long
facebook love, phone messages, emails, texts
a hair cut, alone
a clever gift card waiting for me "shearly you know you are a cut above the rest"
unlimited babysitting...all week long!
lucia's chocolate truffles and chocolate cookie with sea salt
cards in the mail
a new knife and knife block
bedroom curtains completed
working in the earth
dehydrating apples, making applesauce, freezing apples
panang curry from amazing thai
shopping for ice cream with zoom pushing the "shopper in training" cart
blue fin bay
the sound of waves, even if it isn't the ocean
knitting
sitting
sipping
watching the waves crash on the rocks
bare branches holding on to clusters of right red berries
dancing babes
a chilly starry walk along the water

farewell to fall

i have been enjoying this last two signs of fall in between flakes of snow. the anemone always blooms right when winter is about to hit and she is so perfect and precious. then there is the thistle from my friend who moved away and left me some of her garden (thanks!). i don't remember the specific varieties of either of these, but i am sure savoring them!

33 and all is well

6:15 am is a little earlier than i prefer to rise, especially on my birthday, but zoom's request to "snuggle in mama's bed" made it a great way to wake up. we made yummy muffins together and i received numerous spontaneous hugs. then we headed off to caribou coffee for my free birthday coffee. i was a little bummed because i wasn't really craving coffee, but i managed to slurp down a breve. zoom helped himself to the coffee infused velvet topping (thanks gram for awakening that taste in him!) and climbed up and down the stool at the bar.
we did a little grocery shopping before heading home to meet the midwives. we had a home visit today and it was great. the pregnancy is going really well (aside from the sciatica, the hemorrhoids and the varicose veins! ha more on that in a later post) and i am measuring right on time. the baby moved like crazy. kathy had to pin him down so that we could all take turns hearing the heartbeat. she even felt a little contraction, but too faint for me to notice.
we talked more about the list of supplies i am gathering and it was fun to hear how some of them will be used. they will use my crock pot and big pots for brewing herbal teas to make a solution to rinse after the birth. the herbs themselves will be wrapped in cloth to make herbal ice packs! awesome!
one realization: zoom definitely fought for my attention. it was challenging to stay focused on our conversation. it makes me think we'll have mom take him to her house and we'll just call them over when the birth is really close.
it was fun to get loads of emails, phone calls and even a few old fashioned birthday cards to feel special!
i had zoom's little redheaded buddy today and they played really well, emptying out all the games and toys at once, the daily activity.
hubby had a company lunch meeting and brought me home panang curry from a favorite thai restaurant - a perfect lunch!!
then we went to the inlaws (or the in-family as they called themselves tonight, i like that!) for dinner. it was fantastic, as usual. just like growing up, i get to make my own request! tonight we had beef with mashed potatoes and gravy, twice baked potatoes, roasted mixed veggies (brussle sprouts, two different kinds of sweet potatoes, rutabagas, turnips- YUM) and garlic bread. coconut ice cream with chocolate sauce and almonds - wow!
i don't even need a gift! good food makes a fantastic birthday!

more million things

something baking in the oven
a clean tea towel
a clean kitchen
white twinkle lights
earl grey with cream
baby in his green pj's with footies
baby sleeping
a letter posted
knowing what i am going to make for dinner tomorrow
finally dropping off the bag of things at the thrift store
finding another glass pie pan at the thrift store, for 29 cents

diving in

there. i finally did it.
nearly every night i "post" in my head, but have procrastinated starting this blog for months.
i have never been one to journal, but find that it is very easy to type out things that i am thinking about when i email people. a blog seemed natural - as natural as it could be for a very non-techy kind of person that i am.
i love letter writing, and when email came out i boycotted it for so long, thinking that it would be the end of hand written letters. friends moved away. i moved away. now i find myself email daily just to keep in touch with family and friends i would otherwise loose touch with very easily.
i boycotted cell phones for a long time too. did i really? now we don't even have a home phone and i wonder what i used to do when i couldn't find my way to someones house. i am almost embarrassed to say that my cell phone has a camera, but the fact that i can take a photo and send it to my family afar is brilliant! my 1 year old, we'll call him Zoom, gets his mug shot taken almost daily to send to adoring family afar. it is excellent, and makes the miles seem far less and the span of time between our visits much shorter.
a glimpse into daily life. i guess that is what i love about this technology that has exploded during my lifetime. something that is hard to get when waiting a week for a letter. the ups and downs of daily life really tell more of the story.
take this past week. as i look back i would say we have had a pretty good week, weary from fighting colds, but overall pretty good, nothing too out of this world. if someone were to ask me, i would struggle to find examples of "pretty good". but isn't that missing the guts? even tho the guts are random, they do make the picture more complete. the little things really are a big deal.
like the other morning. i was talking on the phone and Zoom was perched on the stepladder at the counter, playing with the toaster oven (safely unplugged so all the button pushing causes nothing to melt or little hands to burn). i don't even remember the news, but i exclaimed, "NO WAY!!!". i heard an echo, "no way, no way, no way" as he put another utensil into the toaster. "no way, no way, no way" as he climbed down from the stool and put a measuring cup into the mixing bowl.
or tuesday morning when we stayed in bed until 9:30, barely able to breathe because our nostrils were clogged and our mouth so dry from breathing with our mouths open all night. the kind of morning that pre-kid i would have just kept on sleeping. but when Zoom woke up he was awake and ready to go - zero to sixty in no time! he certainly didn't get that from me. we did stay in our pj's almost all day. we sipped hot tea. we ate toast with butter. we snuggled. we read books. we took a nap - well, Zoom took a nap. i can never do that sleep-when-your-kid-sleeps thing. when would i get anything else done???
that is the other reason i want to blog. my two examples revolve around my precious bundle of love in a miniature person. certainly he is the most significant part of my life right now, definitely the person i spend the most time with. but he is definitely not what defines me. 16 months ago, the day he was born, my life was radically changed and i want to remember, no, revive, some of the things i used to enjoy. the things that made me, me. i am now categorized as a mom, but i am hardly experienced enough for that to be my main title. it has only been 16 months!
so. i will blog. i won't promise anything magnificent, but i have a pretty darn good life and i am thankful for all the little things that have and are making it what it is! i just want to remember them. all the million things. i worked with a woman who became a dear friend. she and i used to email "the list of a million things". a million things that made life what it is.

so for today's list:
fresh baked banana bread
little white lights
finally connecting with a good friend after months of missing each other
being able to breathe out of my nose
Zoom's sweet voice at night as he talks and sings himself to sleep
a hot cup of tea on a quiet night
going to bed with a clean kitchen