tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40258636995089415582024-03-14T12:31:18.947-04:00Musings on the Simple LifeSearching for simplicity, beauty and truthAdelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.comBlogger1071125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-3746560944786648062017-02-08T13:08:00.001-05:002017-02-08T13:10:06.813-05:00A Few Stories<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi there! It's been a while since I've been over here in this space, long enough that I got a little teary eyed to click on "new post" and see the familiar interface, because a blog can really feel like a good friend. It's been months, and while I keep up to date with the goings-on over on Instagram, which I seem to manage better in the couple of seconds I'm able to find here and there, I do miss this space, the ability to capture a few thoughts or feelings more thoroughly than in a caption. So, while it would be futile to fill you in on everything that's going on, I'm going to start up with just a little of this and that, and hope that I can be a better friend to this blog in the coming months.</div>
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First stop, Josephine. She is the apple of everyone's eye, remarkably good natured and she is always following the action. In other words, she is the baby of the family, even though she just turned one. She loves to hang around with me in the kitchen, and has recently started "helping." The other day, I was surprised to see that the dishwasher, which I had just loaded up with all of the dirty dishes, was completely empty. When I opened a low cabinet, I saw what I was looking for. Josephine had carefully placed each dirty dish, cup, and utensil into the cabinet. She looked up at me and smiled. Yesterday, I opened a laundry hamper to find it full to the brim with plates and bowls. And if you ask her about it, she gets a smile and a little glimmer in her eye, it's really the best.</div>
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Every day there is a new funny story that comes home from school with Hugo, and I have a feeling we're going to have a very entertaining childhood with this one. There is the time that he intentionally ate his entire lunch for snack so that he could get the lunch ladies to give him the coveted "hot lunch" at school. Or the time that he convinced all of his friends that they would be guaranteed entry to his birthday party (which is like, six months in the future) if they gave him a Pokemon card. Or yesterday, when we heard from a friend's mom that they had laid plans to meet up at school at night time to share spooky stories. </div>
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There's so much more: twins, and big girls, and household happenings, and creative endeavors. But I have an art activity to plan and some passport paperwork to fill out (!), so I will sign off with just these few words and a warm greeting. Happy February!</div>
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Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-11949645243097410952016-09-15T14:28:00.000-04:002016-09-15T14:28:15.798-04:00Boston<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When we lived in Boston our family consisted of me, Ben, and our dog Selma. We lived off of 40 dollars a week for groceries (and what we didn't spend we kept in a jar in dollar bills in our kitchen to use for eating out, which usually meant a cup of coffee). We lived in a two bedroom apartment, which was beneath another two bedroom apartment in one of those classic Boston double or triple decker houses. We would sometimes buy a single ingredient at the farmers market and then spend the afternoon finding a good way to prepare it. Everyday we would go for a long long walk (even when it was really cold outside), and we would idle around the local park while the dogs ran around. We spent a lot of time talking about the stuff of life (raising children and living well and justly) but had lived oh so very little of it. We made some amazingly good friends, and it was no surprise to have someone drop by our place unexpectedly for dinner, which I am now realizing was probably a very small amount of food compared to what we prepare now. We worked our way through the "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/More---Less-Cookbook-World-Community/dp/083619263X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473963936&sr=8-1&keywords=More+With+Less">More With Less</a>" cookbook, and we made the <a href="http://ruralandprogressive.org/fuelresources/simple-granola/">Simple Granola</a> every single week (without the coconut, because that didn't fit in our grocery budget).</div>
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It was a time of very simple living, the time that this blog was first started, and then the time that we had sweet baby Zosia, whose every cry was greeted with our huge smiles because were just so happy to have her with us. We lived in Boston for three years. Only three years, but it feels like such a special, mythic time for our family. We <i>love</i> that city. Like really really love it, love the way that it is this bustling, ever transforming city centered around the pursuit of knowledge, and love the way that even though the city is constantly renewed with new minds and new faces it stays exactly the same in so many other ways, and every single brick in the sidewalk remains just as it was nine years ago, and just as it will be a hundred years from now. And we even didn't mind those long New England winters, the brown snow banks lining the streets, because the day of a blizzard felt so magical.</div>
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Our hearts were full to return now, having lived quite a bit of life, with five more children than when we have left (in all stages of childhood), and two new cities we have called home as a family. I think during those nine years, we have done a good bit of sorting out what things <i>really</i> matter, not without growing pains and a good dose of heart ache. We still cook out of the "More with Less Cookbook." We have renewed our faith in the Church, <a href="http://simplelifemusings.blogspot.com/2014/02/selma.html">lost sweet Selma</a>, become students of the discipline of true selflessness, which we endeavor with great challenges to live every day. Those amazing friends are still with us, and seeing their faces is such good food for the soul. </div>
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And now that I have gone all nostalgic and sentimental on you, let me tell you a little about our visit! We could not visit Boston without spending some time in Somerville and Cambridge, the old streets that we called home. We visited our old apartment and were heartened to see that the street had not changed at all, complete with the secret cut through that used to lead to Johnny's Food Master and now leads to Whole Foods. The sweet Bostonian family next door is still there, dogs and all. We walked down to Harvard, stopped by the Biscuit for some coffee and treats, pointed out all of the restaurants that we never really ate at (Ha! $40 a week for food!). I showed the kids the classrooms where I was a student, and was delighted to see that everything is just as loveably stuffy as when I left, that the campus still has this vibrant hum and energy.</div>
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We were really in town to celebrate a friend's wedding in a beautiful ceremony at our old church right on the Boston Common, which gave us the chance to show the kids the Public Garden, which has featured in our family imagination every since the first time we read "<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ducklings-Viking-Kestrel-picture-books/dp/0670451495/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1473963852&sr=8-1&keywords=Make+Way+for+Ducklings">Make Way for Ducklings</a>." It's one of the places that we somehow never visited when we actually lived close by, but it is beautiful, and I think our visit solidified Robert McCloskey's book into our Family Top 10 Children's Book list.</div>
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And then before we left town, we just had to get in the frog pond and stomp around until we were wet and desperately in need of a clothing change, because that seems to be an emerging theme of any trip we take! And then we loaded up into our 12 passenger rental van (*loved* it!), and hit the road, driving towards some warm Atlantic water.</div>
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Next stop, Cape Cod!</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-12132666241038475872016-09-08T14:08:00.000-04:002016-09-08T14:08:01.181-04:00Summer Travels and Natural Places<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are back home after what has felt like a very full summer of travel. Over the past eight weeks we have slept in eight different cities (counting our home here in California, so that is kind of cheating :-). And after that whirlwind of our whole family being together, we are back home and have jumped right into the school year, which means that five of our six kids are in some sort of school (!) and I have a couple of hours to myself here and there. So as I sit here and type, Josephine is cruising around the sofa and making raspberries, and the whole house is quiet. Totally weird.</div>
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There's no good way to start in on all our adventures, so I will just start at the beginning. On a whim, Ben booked an airbnb at Lake Tahoe and he turned it into a sort of belated birthday/anniversary trip. Lake Tahoe is about four hours from our house, and is a popular winter destination, because it has great skiing. I think it's safe to say that we are not quiiiiite in the skiing stage of our family life, but we had heard that Tahoe is beautiful in the summertime, and let me tell you it did not disappoint! The lake is huge and deep, cold like the Pacific, and surrounded by pine trees. It has waves on the shore! Isn't that crazy? It is one of the deepest lakes in America (second, I think), and has beautiful dramatic scenery that reminds me of Colorado.</div>
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Isn't it funny how the most simple, natural places can actually be the most blissfully entertaining for kids? I feel like whenever I go to a place that was made "for kids" I spend most of my time trying to convince everyone they don't actually want the treats that everyone is trying to sell them, or calming over-stimulated kids. But give me a beach or a trail or a natural lake, and everyone is happily entertained for hours. So when we stumbled upon the most beautiful secluded beach on our second day, (aptly named "Hidden Beach," not to be confused with a nudist beach of the same name in Santa Cruz, unless you are Clara and Dorothy, in which case any beach is a nudist beach) I knew we had found our place.</div>
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Getting down to the beach entailed hiking down some sandy paths, then scaling across rocks, but that did not deter us! No way! Ben was riding his bike to meet us, so I must have been quite the spectacle encouraging five little kids to scamper over the large rocks, with little Josephine strapped to my front, but I feel like when we're on adventures like that we're in our element. These Collins kids are a touch bunch. Once we made it down to the beach, which truly is hidden beneath a big cliff that overlooks the lake, we practically had the beach to ourselves, save for a few groups of college kids. It was fantastic, the kids scaled rocks and found caves, we could not have been happier.</div>
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As we were driving home from a weekend of mountain sun, Ben pointed out the large creek along the road. We were in our church clothes and had many hours of driving ahead of us, but when Ben said that the creek looked great for playing, everyone lit up, and we knew how we would be spending our afternoon. I am going to go ahead and add living next to a river or creek to my list of life goals, because I think that scampering over those rocks was our happy place. Zosia and Lily found a little hidden inlet on the other side, and immediately turned it into their secret home away from home. Every single person was wet and happy when we made it back to the car, and I once again learned the lesson that pulling over for an adventure is (almost) always worth it.</div>
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Out here on the West Coast it feels like we are really close to nature. There are big open places everywhere. I don't think I will ever get tired of that! </div>
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And since this space serves as a sort of family scrapbook, please indulge me as I share a few more pictures and stores of our travels over the next few days! Next stop, Boston!</div>
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Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-74604908287531948962016-08-03T00:19:00.001-04:002016-08-03T00:19:55.970-04:00Josephine at Six Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Josephine is six months old, which feels kind of incomprehensible. It feels incomprehensible, because how is she sitting up already? How is she scooting like a little inch worm with her bottom high up in the air, and then her little legs thrusting her forward one little bit at a time? But then it also feels incomprehensible, because how could we have not yet known her just a few months ago? It feels like she's <i>always </i>been in this family, with her easy smile and bright eyes. So let me tell you a little more about Josephine, this baby of ours.</div>
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The kids all call her "Jo Jo," and when you say it, she smiles and coos and knows exactly who you're talking about. And when I come into the room with her (because I am usually carrying her with me when she's awake), all the kids gather around and eagerly say "Jo Jo! Jo Jo!" and it's a competition to see who she will look at. The tactics have become somewhat extreme, with squeaky voices and growly voices, and even though I often hold her a little closer as if all of the commotion would upset her, she <i>loves</i> every bit of it. She smiles bigger, and lets out a big laugh, because who am I kidding? This is the sixth child in a lively and boisterous family. Commotion is her middle name.</div>
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You would not be wrong to say she is a little spoiled. She is always in someone's arms, or surrounded by many kids. She is usually sleeping right next to me or close by, and she nurses often but doesn't eat solid foods yet. Maybe I relish these opportunities because they came less naturally with the twins (co-sleeping with two babies was a puzzle I could never solve), or maybe it's Josephine's mellow and cheerful temperament, but at this rate I will seriously be that mom who is rocking an 18 year old to sleep, I am enjoying every single minutes of it that much.</div>
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She is also probably our most out and about baby, not only because she was born in a state across the country from home, but because we bring her with us everywhere. She started spending days on the beach when she was just a few weeks old, and you are still likely to find her poolside, or out on a walk with us, or on a daytrip, weekend trip, or jog. People say her skin looks olive, but it's just her California baby tan, and if you ask Ben about it, he will proudly pull apart the roll on her chubby little wrist and show you how white her skin is. </div>
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I hate to go on and on about my baby, but you guys! Baby smiles! Chubby wrists! Total sweetness, I could talk about it all day. I will accept the eye rolls. :-)</div>
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(And I'm still lobbying for her to be called Josie! I may be outnumbered, I'll let you know how it goes. And for those of you who are curious, here are <a href="http://simplelifemusings.blogspot.com/2011/12/at-this-age.html">a few of the other kids at six months</a>. I see both Lily and Hugo in her!)</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-27729677319357304702016-07-16T00:16:00.002-04:002016-07-16T00:16:40.760-04:00Camp Out<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The other week we went camping with some friends, and it was a reminder of how sometimes it's worth it to just block off a weekend for something out of the ordinary. There were burgers, and bunny sightings, and children playing around in a lake, and even a little birthday celebration for our friend's sweet (now) three year old, and mandatory smores.</div>
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The single thing that was probably the most marked for me was the fact that open space is the most perfect natural habitat for children. There were, let's see, fourteen children, and they were all off gathering sticks or chasing each other around, or making piles of the dry earth. And, aside from keeping an eye on all of the little ones because of all of the mountain lions in these parts (!!!), everyone was very independent and happy. </div>
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The nights are cool, drastically so (is it because of the dry air? The breeze from the ocean?), and by the time the sun was going down, everyone was in sweaters and socks, and covered from head to toe with dust and marshmallows. If you lined our family up, we could have been cast as a family in the dust bowl, complete with bare feet, determined faces, and many little children. Isn't it the craziest realization that children don't <i>need </i>a bath in the evening for their health and well being, they're just fine sleeping a little dusty. It feels at once rebellious and totally natural.</div>
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We happened to be out camping during a heat wave, and that meant that the days were hot. Up in the hills, it gets dry in the summer, the tall grass that was verdant with rain in the winter are yellow and parched, and during the summer the heat can be pronounced. We went fishing in the little lake in the afternoon, and we left woozy with the heat, happy to cool off with cold water and fruit at home.</div>
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It was a pleasant little camping trip, and I hope we have more of them in our future (and now that we have a big old family tent, I'm feeling optimistic that it might be the case!). </div>
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Do you have any favorite camping memories? Or any tips for camping with kids?</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-27693343540806368472016-06-27T23:59:00.005-04:002016-06-28T00:04:35.022-04:00Mid Summer Snapshots<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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::Every now and then I browse through my recent pictures and wonder, "Hm. Where's Zosia?" And the answer is exactly the same as when we ask that question in our own house, which is "Probably reading a book." This child of mine is a voracious reader (if she were still up I could ask her how many pages she's read in the last year, but I think it's three million? Four million?). Ben and I are more than sympathetic to her cause, and I admire her ability to discreetly duck out and find a cosy place to read. Can you think of a better way to spend summer vacation? She found some Nancy Drew books at a yard sale this weekend, and has been reading them one by one.</div>
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::The retreat center I went to the other week had a cubby system to keep track of napkins, and it was such an effortless way to keep track of nearly 30 women's napkins from one meal to the next. We have tried having unique napkin rings in the past, but it just has never quite worked from meal to meal, so I knew this was a system I would have to attempt at home, and it is a success! Numbered according to birth order, starting from Ben, who is the oldest in the family.</div>
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::Josephine is five months old, and she is in the most perfect stage of babyhood. Smiley and curious and yet still snuggly and... immobile. I love it.</div>
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::Our big kids and their neighborhood friends put on a full fledged lemonade stand last weekend and those kids made some M O N E Y. Granted, it was "dance on the street day" (You know you live in California when your whole town, including all of the streets, close down for a whole day to enable dancing on the street. These Californians have some joie de vivre), so there was a lot of foot traffic. Those kids juiced hundreds of lemons from our neighbor's yard, manned the stand for hours, and helped me bake all of the cookies and brownies. I was definitely proud of them, and when they walked down to town all by themselves the next day to go shopping at the candy store I think they felt some gratification.</div>
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::These children of mine have weathered feet and sun on their faces all day long.</div>
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::Dinner is outside most evenings, weather permitting. We have been working on more peaceful dinnertimes. Doesn't that sound like it would be nice? Those of you who have eaten with us know that our family grace is a verse of "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKz_aBRhCIk">Dona Nobis Pacem</a>" which is a traditional latin hymn meaning "Grant Us Peace." And there are definitely nights when dinner feels like a peaceful occasion, although there are also definitely nights when it feels like there are five hungry lion cubs trying to make sure they get their part of the kill (or perhaps even worse, the night when our lion cubs have full tummies and get bored about two minutes into the conversation, begging to be allowed to go and play). </div>
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::Our resident little mommy, doing things like voluntarily giving the twins swimming lessons and humming as she spontaneously tidies the house. This one was made to have little siblings, and I am so glad that she has not one but four!</div>
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::Gratuitous clothes line picture. This thing still makes me so happy. I filled it three times today, and the clothing was dry in less than an hour. I am amazed. I actually happened to have an especially large load of laundry the other day which didn't all fit on the line, so I split it in half, and put half in the dryer and half out on the line as a race. And the result was..... drumroll........ a tie! But of course not as far as our electric bill is concerned. I'm totally a convert.</div>
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::It is in my nature to always be scurrying around and picking things up, or preparing meals, or whatever other housework is at hand, but if I am sitting down, I am probably reading aloud to the kids. I love that when Ben or I start reading a book, one by one the children start gathering around from whatever they might be doing to listen.</div>
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::The farmer's market that's right up the street from our house just started back up for the summer, and although there are several year round farmer's markets around, there's something about an event being right underfoot that makes us so much more likely to attend. This week's haul included bread, tomatoes, stone fruit, mandatory flowers, and a bunch of veggies, which Ben decided weren't pretty enough to include in the picture.</div>
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It is really starting to feel like summer, and I love it! How is your summer going?</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-79291592585372240432016-06-17T15:41:00.001-04:002016-06-17T15:41:47.539-04:00A New House, A Clothes Line, and a Reptile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We’re in our new house. It was a move that will be remembered by the many helping hands that loaded boxes into our rented van and drove them half a mile up the road, only to lift them out again and carry them into our new house. The kindness that was shared with us is something that I will remember for many days and hope to be able to return to others who are in a tricky situation. And somewhere in there there was the end of our kids’ school, a neglected anniversary and birthday, a week of sickness, and a heroic rescue mission from my Mom, who flew in from the East coast after I had been very sick for a week. </div>
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Our first days in this house will be remembered by the doorbell ringing like clockwork every afternoon, and the opened door revealing a sea of smiling faces of neighborhood kids of varying statures ready to play. Or walking into the back yard to see ten kids, only three of them mine, sitting in a circle and “playing school” or an early summer lemonade stand, still in the works, or pleasant evening walks into town, which is not only four leisurely blocks away. </div>
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In many ways our new house is less curated, less manicured, less "fixed up" than our last one, but it feels more like home. There's something about an old house with quirks that instantly wins my heart. When Ben hung up a clothes line for me that runs from directly next to our washing machine to the garage, I was as happy as one of those women in the diamond ring commercials. I think it's the most beautiful thing in the world and I could stare at it all day long.</div>
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Josephine babbles and loves chewing on things and reigns as the central attraction of the house. She came with me on a silent retreat this past weekend. I truly appreciated the space for thought and prayer, the chance to simply listen without speaking, and the opportunity for starting anew that such a retreat affords. Somehow, it felt very timely. And I think that as the only baby in a retreat with thirty women, largely mothers, Josephine scored pretty big herself.</div>
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Of course by the third day of the retreat I was dying to get home to the kids, and as I pulled up to this house bursting at the seems with life, Ben proudly displaying the tomato plants he got in the ground while I was gone, the twins laughing as they tackled me on the bed, and Zosia looking so so grown up, I felt like I was coming home.</div>
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And if my heart wasn't already full enough, Hugo got a pet green anole he quickly named "Chris" for his birthday on Tuesday. I'm pretty sure I once promised myself I would never own a reptile. But now I guess we're.... reptile enthusiasts? Not sure how I feel about that one yet. Welcome to the family, little guy.</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-40653309934709721652016-04-29T11:56:00.001-04:002016-04-29T11:56:18.875-04:00Staying up Late, a Bounce House, and a Sheet Cake<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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"That summer they started having picnics. At first the picnics were not real picnics; not the kind you take out in a basket. Betsy's father, serving the plates at the head of the table, would fill Betsy's plate with scrambled eggs and bread and butter and strawberries, or whatever they had for supper. Tacy's father would do the same. Holding the plate in one hand and a glass of milk in the other, each little girl would walk carefully out of her house and down the porch steps and out to the middle of the road. Then they would walk up the hill to that bench where Tacy had stood the first night she came. And there they would eat supper together.</div>
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Betsy always liked what she saw on Tacy's plate. In particular she liked the fresh unfrosted cake which Tacy's mother often stirred up for supper for her big family. Tacy knew that Betsy liked that cake, and she always divided her piece. And if baked beans or corn bread or something that Tacy liked lay on Betsy's plate, Betsy divided that too."</div>
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-from <i>Betsy Tacy</i>, by Maud Hart Lovelace</div>
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Hugo has been staying up in the evenings. For <i>years</i> he's been eagerly awaiting the day that he gets to go to bed with the big kids, and the other week we realized that he was ready (meaning, he was staying up an hour past his bedtime anyway, so why not make it official). After the twins and Hugo are in bed has been our read aloud time with the older girls, so the fact that he is staying up with us means that our literature has to be adjusted to be interesting and understandable to an 8 year old, a 7 year old, and an (almost) 5 year old. I've been looking through and some old favorites and realizing that I really miss the books, the characters, the stories.</div>
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Have you read The <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Betsy-Tacy-Treasury-First-Four-Books/dp/0062095870/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461723396&sr=8-1&keywords=betsy+tacy">Betsy Tacy Treasury</a></i>? It's a heartwarming story of the friendship between three girls over the course of their childhoods, and it's very charming and sweet. I love the storyline of Tacy's family, partly because they are a big, rambunctious, joyful family, and I hope that our children will remember their own childhoods in much the same way. Whenever dinner at Tacy's house is mentioned, they talk about these sheet cakes that her mom is aways making to feed all of those hungry mouths, and somewhere over the many years we've been reading these books, Ben has started suggesting that maybe it would be a good idea to make some sheetcakes around here? I mean, it's the practical thing to do, right? Sheetcakes are humble-- they are generally served straight from the pan, no flipping and elaborate decorating, no extra cupcake wrappers. Just a plain desert, and if you're feeling fancy you can always put a simple frosting on top, but it's not even necessary. And if your family is anything like my family, even a simple cake, when made at home, is devoured with relish.</div>
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I found a recipe called "Texas Sheet Cake" and have modified it over the past months to the point that it is a foolproof go-to for our family. Whenever I make it, I feel just like Tacy's mom. I originally tried this recipe from a magazine, and still pull out that torn and stained magazine each time I make the cake, so I figured it was time to immortalize it here on the blog for easy future reference. I always seem to have the ingredients on hand, and whenever there is a special occasion, the kids beg for me to make it. I hope you enjoy it, too!</div>
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Texas Sheet Cake</div>
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Cake</div>
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2 sticks unsalted butter</div>
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2 cups all purpose flour</div>
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2 cups granulated sugar</div>
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1 teaspoon baking soda</div>
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1 teaspoon salt</div>
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1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon</div>
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1/2 cup cocoa powder</div>
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2 large eggs</div>
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1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup regular milk with a splash of vinegar)</div>
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1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</div>
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Icing</div>
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6 tablespoons unsalted butter</div>
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2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder</div>
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6 tablespoons heavy cream</div>
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1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract</div>
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1 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar</div>
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Cake:</div>
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1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter a 9 by 13 inch pan (line with parchment paper, leaving a 2 inch overhang if you have parchment paper on hand).</div>
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2. Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in large bowl.</div>
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3. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium low. Whisk in cocoa, then 1 cup water. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Pour over flour mixture and stir to combine. Stir in eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.</div>
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4. Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with a spatula. Bake until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 22 to 24 minutes.</div>
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5. Transfer cake in pan to a wire rack; let cool 15 minutes.</div>
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Icing:</div>
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1. In a small saucepan, bring butter, cocoa, and cream to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; whisk in vanilla and confectioners' sugar. Let stand until warm before using.</div>
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2. Pour glaze over warm cake, and allow to cool before serving.</div>
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(And our darling Lily turned 7 last week, complete with our first ever birthday party featuring a bounce house, or moon bounce as we call them back East, which was a huge, exciting, energy-expending hit. All of these years of early childhood are so magical, I just love each one of them, and Lily holds such a special place in all of our hearts. <a href="http://simplelifemusings.blogspot.com/2009/04/welcome-lillian.html">Looking back on pictures </a>of when she was born makes me so happy and thankful!)</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-79002987871853069952016-04-12T16:01:00.000-04:002016-04-12T16:01:03.541-04:00Intensity and Calm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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As I look back upon our nearly 9 years of parenthood, it is clear to me that parenthood is composed of intervals: intensity, then calm. The intensity of adjusting to the very first baby (which I still think is the very hardest part of it), followed by the calm of enjoying a new baby. As new babies have joined the family, there have been periods of intensity during the end of pregnancies, or during the toddlerhood of twins (yes), but there have also been periods of calm in there, and when they come, they feel like the most welcome respite. <br />
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After a year of intensity, unlike any we have known, we have settled into a marked calm. Zosia and Lily are old enough to be meaningfully helpful both around the house and with the other kids, the twins have blossomed into communicative two year olds, Hugo is happy to play with whoever comes his way, and Josephine is along for the ride. Sometimes I find myself sitting in the sun drinking a cup of coffee and reading a novel, and think to myself, "Would I even believe this could be my life six months ago?" No way. (But to keep it real, we have a serial book ripper in the house who remains at large. We really love books, so this is kind of a big crime. I am not letting it get in my way, and have used the ripped off back cover of my novel as a book mark. We will offer a reward for any information that leads to an arrest.)</div>
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So picture me, enjoying my "noticeable calm," opening the door to our property manager just after dinner one night, exchanging a few pleasantries before being informed that the owners of our house are selling it. We have two months to find a new place and move in a real estate market that is so challenging for renters that it has been written about in national news. If you are looking wide eyed and shocked, that is exactly what my face looked like as I ducked behind the door and, in my most sweet voice which probably actually sounded somewhat shrill called, "Sweetheart, I think you should come to the front door." Because there are no houses for rent around here. We learned that when we moved, and no way are we buying a house in this crazy housing market.</div>
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But I guess God has a good sense of humor, because just as I was busy casting myself as Mary in a depiction of the Holy Family, riding a donkey from door to door with all six of our kids in panniers, our property manager mentioned, "You know, there's this family I know who has to break their lease because they bought a house. Their house is right up the street, and big enough for your family. Do you want me to contact them?" So fast forward a few weeks, we went by the house, we have signed a lease, and we will be moved to our new diggs before the kids finish the school year. It has a seventies galley kitchen which I sort of love, is walking distance to all the kids' schools (because Hugo will be in kindergarten next year, you guys! And the twins will be at preschool two mornings a week), and closer to "town" which I'll have to tell you more about one of these days, because it's pretty cute. So all in all, we're feeling fortunate. And we're moving in a month. Which gives me a good excuse to do a thorough spring cleaning. We're always up for an adventure these days.</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-60242345265500167072016-03-29T01:45:00.000-04:002016-03-29T01:45:34.728-04:00Easter Song<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Easter! As I was lying in bed last night, after a full day of preparations and mass and company and so many gleeful children running around until past their bedtimes, I was thinking about the day, wondering if every guest felt welcomed, and if maybe the lamb wasn't a bit underdone (it was. My meat thermometer tricked me!), and if only I could have kept the twins in their pretty Easter dresses for a little bit longer (they changed into their ragtag favorites about five minutes after getting home from mass). You know, just the typical awareness of all of the imperfections of this boisterous family life we have embraced. And I caught myself a minute into this train of thought, and laughed at my own ridiculousness, because isn't the ultimate lesson of the Lenten season that God can do something beautiful from our most humble efforts? Wow, there is such comfort in that, especially when even our best efforts are kind of messy.</div>
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We were blessed with an incredibly present Triduum, where we not only went to church, but were able to go without some of the littler kiddos, meaning that we could participate and focus in a way that is truly special. And I think that for all of us, but especially Ben, in this first Easter season after <a href="http://simplelifemusings.blogspot.com/2015/06/grief-and-gods-bounty.html">having lost his brother</a>, there is healing in liturgy of the Triduum. Because in taking us through the last days and death of Jesus, all the way to the miracle of his Resurrection, it is also taking us through what God has promised for us. I am thankful for all of it, and thankful that the Church freely gives us this beauty and meaning. I had my feet washed on Holy Thursday for the first time in my life (along with my sweet eldest daughter Zosia). Hugo punctuated the utter silence on Good Friday after the readers loudly exclaimed "Crucify him! Crucify him!" by helpfully announcing "That was <i>loud!" </i> And the twins somehow came to believe that a little girl wearing bunny ears in mass on Easter morning <i>was</i> the Easter bunny, and they tried to hug her. And Josephine slept through just about every minute of it. And then we hung out with friends and the full compliment of my West Coast family on Easter. It was all pretty great.</div>
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I hope you had a beautiful Easter, too, and will feel the joy of the Easter season throughout the entire year. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OEqavkJGCE">This song</a> was my brother in law's favorite, and he used to blast it through his house on Easter morning. He's risen, halleluja. </div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-87881187822302244542016-03-24T21:16:00.000-04:002016-03-24T21:16:04.972-04:00Fairy Houses, Reading, and Baby Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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::We're getting the house slowly ready for the big Easter gathering we're hosting over the weekend, and it makes me so cheerful to catch a glimpse of flowers as I'm going about my tidying. As the Easter card my inlaws just sent reads, "The new life that surrounds us in spring is a beautiful reminder of the new life we've been given because Christ lives." </div>
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::We have taught all of our kids how to read using <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Your-Child-Read-Lessons/dp/0671631985/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458853571&sr=8-1&keywords=teach+your+child+to+read+in+100+easy+lessons">this book</a> when they're four or so, and it's always magical to watch them suddenly "get it" and start reading more fluently. Ben and I have been competing over who gets to give Hugo his reading lesson in the evening. I am already looking forward to teaching the twins: at least we'll each have a pupil!</div>
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::Zosia and her friends put together a little song and dance number for their school's talent show, which made us all so proud! It's not easy to get up in front of an auditorium full of people, let alone do it with grace and poise and smile on your face. It's so fun to watch each of our children develop into unique individuals, pursuing their own interests and talents. As I kid I had some awful stage fright, which I truly think I've only fully gotten over as an adult: I think doing a talent show like that would have been my worst nightmare. But there she was, confident and happy, in front of a room of friends and their parents.</div>
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Watching Zosia up there, we realized that over the past six months, our kids have developed close friendships with some pretty great kids. I remember my sister in law, who has spent most of her adult life as an air force wife, moving more frequently than I can wrap my mind around, once said that it takes about six months to feel settled in somewhere. And of course she's right. :-)</div>
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::I can't believe that just over two months ago, we hadn't met Josephine yet. It feels like she is right in the middle of our family, acting as entertainment, antidote to boredom, and superlative winner in most categories according to her siblings. To me, a new baby is the ultimate teacher of pure love. Because, if you think about it, Josephine's siblings shouldn't boundlessly adore her: they should resent her (which all of those parenting books tell you they will! Six kids later and we're still waiting on that one). I mean, here she is taking up attention, and needing new diapers and all. But they absolutely adore her and she brings out their kindness, creativity, and gentleness in entirely new ways for no good reason, other than love. And likewise, we should probably be pretty grumpy about the fact that we are getting up at night, or jiggling a baby and what have you, but there is nothing that could make us happier. Babies, you guys!</div>
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:: We are right in the middle of a "fairy house" craze, which means that I find little shrines all over the house containing a mix of random toys, natural elements, food waste, and in this one, a nativity icon. They are so incredibly creative, I leave them up for as long as I can bear it before reclaiming that bit of countertop (or tabletop, or lawn, or bathtub). Clearly, if we don't yet, we will soon have <i>a lot </i>of fairies living in our house.</div>
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May you have a blessed Holy Week! Our feet are going to be so clean in an hour or two.</div>
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Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-15397858769883927492016-03-18T02:07:00.000-04:002016-03-18T02:07:12.005-04:00New Blooms, Rain, and More Oranges<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Suddenly, it is spring here. I didn't know if we would really have a true, bursting-from-the-ground sort of spring out here. Granted, it's not nearly as dramatic as cherry blossom buds after a cold and barren winter, but it is here: the trees are pale green with new leaves, there are new flowers bursting from the ground, the fruit trees are starting to blossom. Flower are all over, and it's still novel to me to be in a place with native blooms that I surprise me from my own dining room table (above, bouquets from the girls, below tulips from Ben!).</div>
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For the past week and a half it has been raining. Our kids are little enough that they have sort of forgotten what to do in the rain since we've been living in a drought ridden state for the past 8 months or so. We used to be really good at rainy days, but it's the sort of thing you have to practice, you know? A morning of rain is one thing, but we had many back to back days of solid rain, and Clara and Dorothy were looking at us like, "You mean I can't just stroll outside in what I'm wearing?" So we had to teach them about all of the things you can do on a rainy day, like lounge around the house and do puzzles and read and maybe get around to sloooowly making something for dinner. It's good to have a rainy day like that every now and then.</div>
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I adore baby Josephine. Of course I adore each of our babies, but being the sixth child in the family does sort of make Josephine the center of <i>a lot </i>of love. There's Josephine, sleeping right through snuggles, kisses, pokes, and jiggles. We have our steady refrains for children who are interacting with Josephine, sung on repeat and hesitantly heeded, "With an open hand" (to prevent poking), "on the top of her head" (to prevent kisses on the mouth, nose, eyes. We've seen it all, folks), or "Give Josephine a bubble" (which is our last ditch attempt to convince to give her a little room). Luckily, she seems to adore all the attention, eagerly following her siblings with her eyes and increasingly smiling at even the sound of their voices.</div>
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Oh, and we're still picking oranges. I remember when we first moved here, I looked in horror at oranges that had fallen from orange trees and were left uneaten (just right there, on the sidewalk, or in someone's yard, or their lawn waste). But now I get it. The past month we have gone from cherishing the incredibleness of having fresh citrus in our backyard to the grim reality of moldy oranges on the lawn. We're harvesting those oranges every day and we are only about half way through. As of this evening, we have newly harvested oranges ready to give out to any friend/potential friend/neighbor/teacher/passer-by ready to receive them.</div>
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I'm joining in with <a href="http://www.likemotherlikedaughter.org/2016/03/phfr-and-roasted-cauliflower-soup/">Like Mother, Like Daughter </a>today!</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-52501432854164069642016-03-08T22:21:00.001-05:002016-03-08T22:21:06.690-05:00What I Wore Sunday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've never joined in with <a href="http://rosie-ablogformymom.blogspot.com/2016/03/what-i-wore-sunday-laetare-and-stop.html">What I Wore Sunday</a>, partly because getting out the door for mass with all of the children dressed is tricky enough without a photoshoot! This week I waited until we got home from church and had a snack, at which point two of my children were naked and the rest were covered in mud (don't ask), and I opted for the "just with the baby" photo. That counts, right? </div>
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These days my go-to Sunday outfit can be classified into one of two categories: a skirt and a button down shirt, or a shirtdress. Because, nursing, you guys! And my go-to accessory would have to be either a baby carrier or a baby blanket, or a set of squirmy twins. :-P </div>
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Josephine, on the other hand, is *much* cuter, with smocked dresses and bonnets, or, as Ben likes to say "dressed like a pilgrim." She loves to sleep through mass, which works just fine by me, as two two year olds is just plenty to keep us occupied. Today's mass highlight would have to be that someone brought a seeing eye dog to mass, or that the little girl next to us had a whole sheet of barrettes with her as her toy (I'm taking notes! Genius!).</div>
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Our one favorite life hack for going to church with a lot of little kids has been reading the Gospel aloud in the car on the way to church. That way, even if we are totally distracted during mass, we kind of get the gist of what's going on. Luckily, mass is good even when we aren't perfectly attentive! The sacraments are pretty great like that. What are your favorite tricks for going to church with little ones? </div>
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I loved seeing what <a href="http://rosie-ablogformymom.blogspot.com/2016/03/what-i-wore-sunday-laetare-and-stop.html">other people wore this week</a>! Thanks, Rosie!</div>
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Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-12796083698458888082016-03-03T14:56:00.003-05:002016-03-03T14:57:44.532-05:00What We're Reading<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi there! And Happy March! The other day I was realizing how central reading together is to our family. We like reading books, it is educational, and entertaining. But moreover, reading together constitutes some of the most meaningful one on one time we spend with each child. </div>
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Because even because some of our kids read quite well on their own (and spend a lot of their free time doing exactly that!) we still have a custom of reading aloud, generally at bedtime, with all of our kids. These days that means Ben generally reads a couple of books to the twins before we tuck them in, Ben or I give Hugo a reading lesson and then read a few stories with him before we tuck him in, and we spend some time reading with the "big girls" after all the littler ones are in bed. And even though our kids <i>adore </i>reading, I think it is Ben and I who enjoy it most. Whether revisiting books we read as kids ourselves, or finding new ones to enjoy as a family, it is magical to read together.</div>
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So let me get down to it and share some of the books we've been loving in the past month or so! </div>
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For the 2 and under set:</div>
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Just about any <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_2?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Golden+Book+classic&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3AGolden+Book+classic">classic Golden Book!</a> These are awesome: they are inexpensive, can be found at your local thrift store, contain <i>lots</i> of animals, and are generally exactly the right length to hold the attention of your toddler or two.</div>
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For the 4 and under set:</div>
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Hugo's been loving the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Paddington-Classic-Adventures-Box-Set/dp/0062422790/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1457034562&sr=8-5&keywords=Paddington+bear">Paddington bear books</a> and just about any non fiction book about animals he can get his hands on.</div>
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For the 8 and under set:</div>
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We just finished book four of the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Incorrigible-Children-Ashton-Place-Book-ebook/dp/B0037B6QVQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457034674&sr=8-1&keywords=incorrigible+children+of+ashton+place+book+1">Ashton Place</a> series last night, and are still hooked (although be warned, every single book is incredibly absorbing and ultimately leaves little resolved! It's a bit of a tease!). These are new books and it's been so much fun to read them for the first time together, although I have a feeling we will be reading them again and again as our younger kids grow into them. They feature a young governess who is assigned the task of caring for three "wolf children," at an estate in England. During their studies, they stumble upon adventures, and inadvertently start to discover the secrets of their own past. Eee, so good (and funny!).</div>
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Zosia and I have independently been reading <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wildwood-Chronicles-Book-I/dp/0062024701/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457034877&sr=8-1&keywords=Wildwood">Wildwood,</a> and I like it so much I'm going to make it our next read aloud. This is another new book, and it's silly, exciting and nerdy, and set in the Pacific Northwest. What's not to love?</div>
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I would love hearing about your favorites, whether something you're reading with your kids or something you love from your own childhood. I think I could talk about children's books all day!</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-67712867117156439192016-02-11T14:41:00.001-05:002016-02-11T14:43:13.864-05:00100 Ways To Use Oranges<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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No, no, I'm only kidding. I *wish* I knew of 100 ways to use oranges, because we have about one thousand ripe ones on the tree in our backyard, and we have eaten more than we can handle. So far, we actually only have three: plain old ripe oranges, orange juice, and orange marmalade. All three are pretty big hits around here, though, so we might just stick to those basics for a while longer (maybe diversifying to mimosas. How have we not made those yet??). And we give oranges to everyone who comes by our house, or lives near us, or is a friend. Apparently oranges in February in California are sort of like tomatoes in August in Virginia, in that everyone has more than they need even though they are so so good. </div>
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For the first time in my life I am living in a place where it is actually seasonally appropriate to buy bathing suits when stores start selling them. Which means that as of earlier this week, both Clara and Dorothy have bathing suits which, of course, they insisted on wearing all day, all the way through to bathtime, which was the first appropriate moment to be wearing them.</div>
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We've been trying to work it out so that each morning one twin is at home "helping" with Josephine, while the other is out and about embarking on some sort of adventure. It has actually been incredibly awesome, partly because it's the first time we've spent large amounts of time with Clara and Dorothy individually, and while they are quite a bit alike, they are definitely unique individuals. Oh my goodness, they love being around the baby, which results in all sorts of ridiculous moments, like trying to insist that no, Josephine cannot eat a lollipop.</div>
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Our little Josephine celebrated her nameday on Monday, which, for those of you not familiar with the tradition, is a celebration of the feast day of one's patron saint. In Poland, your nameday is actually a much bigger deal than even your birthday, and my dad sent over pastries from a local bakery along with some information about Josephine's patron saint, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josephine_Bakhita">Saint Josephine Bakhita</a>, to help us celebrate. I encourage you to read about her life, because it is truly an incredible story, one which includes kidnapping, enslavement, forced conversion to Islam, travel over many continents, and ultimately conversion to Christianity, freedom, the religious life, and canonization as one of Africa's modern saints.</div>
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Did you receive ashes yesterday? We skipped our <a href="http://simplelifemusings.blogspot.com/2014/03/pretzels-smiles-prayers.html">traditional Ash Wednesday pretzel</a>s (which I think we'll have to make tomorrow on the first Friday of lent!). It feels a little funny to be celebrating Lent when it feels like summer outside, but even so, I welcome the rhythm of the liturgical seasons, and am excited to set up some of our traditional Lenten practices, like planting grass seeds for good deeds, or praying a decade of the Rosary with the older kids. What are your family's practices for Lent? How do your kids participate? </div>
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Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-76482618395683136792016-02-02T17:29:00.000-05:002016-02-02T17:29:04.950-05:00Creative Activity and Rest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For me, there is something that happens after the birth of a child that results in a total surge of creative activity. Which sort of makes sense, because at its heart, having a child is the ultimate creative endeavor, isn't it? All of a sudden, there are sewing patterns lying around and new recipes in the kitchen, and new knitting patterns, which really seems like it should not be the case when there is a one week old baby in the house.</div>
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But then again, I think there is something very creative about being in a state of rest. That's the rationale behind retreats, right? That when we quiet our minds and bodies, and create a blank space on our calendars, it creates space for the divine to speak to us. </div>
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In my own house, I am suddenly sitting much more than I am accustomed to. Sitting and nursing a tiny, perfect little human. And from that state of rest, I have been noticing such glimmers of beauty all around me. Dorothy creating a little perch for herself in the baby's bassinet, where she can keep an eye out for the neighborhood cats. Heavy ripe oranges falling from the tree with gusts of wind. Lily, unprompted, guiding Hugo to our bed to read him aloud a book at bedtime. Or sweet little Josephine, totally asleep, taking a break to stretch her tiny arms. Are these things new, or am I just now noticing them?</div>
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We are slowly returning back to a sense of real time, and there are reading lists and potential trips and menu plans swirling around in my head. I might get around to some of those things, but I do have some serious distractions, including a set of rambunctious twin toddlers and a very sweet newborn baby in my arms, and those things by themselves would be enough to make my heart full.</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-19461109663201335872016-01-29T17:56:00.000-05:002016-01-29T17:56:29.715-05:00This Time Around<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's amazing how, even having been through this whole new-baby-in-the-house-thing a few times before, there are things that have taken us by surprise since Josephine was born. Her smallness, for one. Her fragility and beauty and newness. The way her siblings really <i>love</i> her, in a way that makes us so thankful that we can give the gift of siblinghood to each of these children of ours. How could I have forgotten those things? </div>
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Of course, things really <i>are </i>different this time around, partly because there is just one baby involved! It has taken a little bit of getting used to to realize that there is just one baby to diaper, to nurse, to hold. It feels as if I've always forgotten something, that sneaky secret twin I should be burping. But can I just say it is oh so much easier? A single baby fits in my arms (or a sling/carrier/a sibling's or daddy's arms) no problem. It feels so healing to realize that I can care completely for this one baby.</div>
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Even amid the miracle of a new person being born, life has a way of slowly yet rhythmically moving forward. Our kids are old enough that they have their own routines, their own activities and friendships which set the pace of our daily life. Homework is done and meals are prepared and books are read. It is incredibly soothing and fulfilling to be able to count on those rhythms and look forward to them, simply with a new baby in our arms. Realizing that our lives are enriched but not utterly changed. It's a gentle shift.</div>
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One lesson I have learned over the course of the pregnancies that I've had is that it is truly good to rest following a birth. To largely if not entirely stay at home, to take naps and sleep late and nurse the baby whenever she wants. Where after Zosia's birth I was itching to do anything and everything-- from going on long walks to going to restaurants to going to yoga and entertaining-- over these years I've relished the pause that a new baby offers. There is nowhere to go, nothing to do except the very basic things. And these basic things seem to involve a lot of staring at a newborn baby (by each member of our family!). Oh, I could gaze at Josephine for hours! They should have a netflix station that is just real time footage of newborns, I would watch it! Ben has a wonderful paternity leave, and it has been so lovely to watch him bond with Josephine, who has him wrapped around her finger, or play legos with Hugo, or cook something delicious for dinner. </div>
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So that is all for today. Gushing about newborns (sorry!), ordinary daily things, and rest. And because it is Friday, a quote from Pope Francis for you:</div>
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"All that is good, all that is true, all that is beautiful brings us to God. Because God is good, God is beautiful, God is the truth. But the most beautiful thing that God made, the Bible says, was the family. All of the love that God has in Himself, all of the beauty that God has in Himself, all of the truth that God has in Himself, He gives to the family. And a family is truly a family when it is able to open its arms and receive all of this love."</div>
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Happy weekend, friends!</div>
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Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-80867877813598357022016-01-26T23:45:00.003-05:002016-01-26T23:45:52.832-05:00Introducing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Josephine Rose</div>
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Born Friday, January 22 at 9:26 am</div>
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7 lbs 13 oz</div>
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20.5 inches</div>
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Oh my goodness, it has been quite a week. It started with many long walks, very few signs of labor, and what had become my longest pregnancy yet. And then somewhere by the end of the week, one acupuncture appointment and many natural labor inducing techniques later, she came to us, gently, quietly, on her own time, in a tub in our bedroom. Perfect timing, just like always.<br />
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I cannot tell you how curious I have been to meet this person, to look at her and hold her, and what absolute bliss it's been to be able to do exactly that for just about every minute since she's been born. When her siblings streamed in after her birth to meet her, I was struck with the fact that this little one is being welcomed into a whole community of love. <br />
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<i>Everyone</i>, from Zosia, who prides herself in being allowed to carry the baby in a sling, to Lily, who has always had an intuitive knack for babies, to Hugo, who proudly announces "Newborns are the best! They let you hold them, and hug them and kiss them. Not like my two year old sisters, who say 'No!'" to Clara and Dorothy, who are absolutely obsessed with this baby. They kiss her and bring her books and practice putting newborn diapers onto <i>one another</i> just in case they might need to lend a helping hand. And then there are so many more family members and friends and all I have to say is that this is one lucky baby.<br />
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It has been a really wonderful week, one when I feel joy and relief and accomplishment and such very deep gratitude. And I think for the first time since we moved from Virginia I had zero reservations about living somewhere else, because I have no idea what we would have done in that snowstorm! Yikes! Instead, we had a California baby on a balmy January day, here in the city of Saint Joseph. Our very own sweet Josephine.</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-63991561671657893182016-01-14T19:27:00.000-05:002016-01-14T19:28:38.462-05:00Twins Turning Two <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dorothy and Clara turned two the day after Christmas. We happened to have all of our family still here, and so we made it a festive family day with cupcakes and a pinata and party hats and noise makers. We took a day off of the presents part of the "twelve days of Christmas" for everyone else to give some semblance of this being Clara and Dorothy's day (I think I see a half birthday tradition emerging in the near future). And despite all of my best efforts, looking back, it does sort of blend in with the celebratory, wonderful, exciting season of Christmas. </div>
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But I think that for our family, Christmas will always contain the story of their births within it. Rushing to the hospital the night of Christmas day, our Christmas train under the tree and wrapping paper still littering the rug. Praying and praying for a safe delivery on the way to the hospital, driving through the desolate midnight streets of Washington DC, festively lit for the holiday, the words of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mCuHuIQRd3M">this obscure carol</a> stuck in my head. They were born in a dark room lit by a single string of Christmas lights, first Clara, and then Dorothy, on her own time, some two and a half hours later.<br />
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And just as our Christmas will always contain these two ladies within it, so too will our family, which has expanded to fit Miss Clara and Dorothy quite comfortably. They are communicative and attentive and playful and very securely attached to the the many people in their lives who love them. Both are very independent, capable, and pretty easy going. And while they are transforming with every passing day, today I would say that Clara is adaptable, fearless, and filled with curiosity and adventure. Dorothy is silly, loyal, and a little more sentimental.<br />
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And somewhere in the craziness of having two one year olds under a single roof, we have started to notice the very subtle magic that exists in the relationship between these two ladies. There is a loyalty and awareness and selflessness between them that surfaces every now and then which takes us all by surprise, and I just can't wait to see what it blossoms into.<br />
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Happy birthday to my sweet, mischievous, girls. We absolutely adore you.<br />
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(and for those of you on baby watch for our newest addition, no baby yet! Just hanging out, enjoying our final days as a family of seven and absolutely <i>dying</i> from the curiosity of who this person is going to be!)</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-44760813996451863752015-12-28T00:43:00.000-05:002015-12-28T00:43:08.377-05:00Merry Christmas!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Merry Christmas!!! So happy this is the beginning of a whole Christmas season, because it means I am not late in the least in extending my wishes to you. We are in the middle of a wonderful, luxurious, lengthy visit from my full side of the family, including my parents and Aunt Basia, my sister, brother-in-law, and niece, and another niece to be in the womb! We had one of the most beautiful, meaningful Christmas celebrations in recent memory, complete with our Polish Wigilia meal, many little children, and our first year spreading out presents over the twelve days of Christmas (which has been pretty awesome, partly because it means we still have presents left to go, and partly because it gives the kids time to really enjoy each gift as opposed to unwrapping things in a crazy rush and then tossing them aside). It's nice to slow things down so that Christmas feels more about the birth of Jesus than a glut of stuff.</div>
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Somewhere in the middle of the past few weeks, Hugo was a really cute Christmas tree in his school's Christmas show, the twins turned two (more on that later this week!), and I am suddenly 37 weeks pregnant. On Christmas morning we went to the local mission church for mass, and sitting there surrounded by family members in this beautiful old church that was founded in 1777, I was so awe struck with the enormity of Christmas and the ordinariness of it, how God came to the world as a baby, and what that means for all of us. To be very pregnant at Christmas is a special gift, and even in the midst of being tired and a bit slow and exceptionally emotional, holding this life inside of me gives me such a special window into Mary the Christ bearer holding none other than the Son of God. </div>
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This is going to be an especially exciting week, followed by an especially exciting couple of weeks, because we are about to have a baby! Woohoo! And yikes! Because I have not even pulled out the baby clothing yet, but we'll get there eventually, and what I plan to do in the meantime is take it pretty easy and enjoy every single moment with this family of seven of mine. Ooh, but we're so excited to meet this new person!</div>
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Merry Christmas, friends! May this be a blessed, joyful season for you.</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-16776114583120367012015-12-04T14:35:00.000-05:002015-12-04T14:35:39.383-05:00Advent, Almost Two, and Pregnancy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Advent is in full swing around here, which means that the tree is up and lit but not decorated, there are nativities all around the house, and every evening we gather for a moment of prayer and reflection around our (not yet made Advent wreath) and candles. The thing I love about Advent is that it gives us permission to be <i>not quite ready yet, </i> because man do I find myself needing a few extra days to get anything done around here!</div>
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The twins, if you can believe it, are right around the corner from turning TWO, and can I just take this opportunity to sing an ode to being two? Having two one year olds in the house has been (picture me biting my tongue), quite an adventure? Ay yi yi! The messes! The quarrels! The opinions (without ability to express them)! However, the past few weeks, on many occasions, we have sat back and watched while Clara and Dorothy happily, cooperatively, enthusiastically <i>play together</i>, and this has been amazingly wonderful. They love both imaginarily and really feeding one another, washing one another in the bath, and (this is so cute) massaging one another before bed. They have fully embraced the world of spoken speech and are adorably assertive and direct in their language choices. "Sit! Here! Mama! (complete with finger pointing to exactly <i>where</i> I should sit)" is Clara's favorite, which is perfectly fitting for the daughter of a women who is perpetually flitting about from one thing to the next. Oh my goodness, this age is among my favorites.</div>
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I am entering that stage of pregnancy when I am both ramping up, inexplicably getting a surge of energy that causes me to want to rearrange the whole house, and sloooowing down, royally crashing and then spending the day in my slippers and pajamas. We have only now started assembling baby things and I am once again comforted by the fact that a newborn baby needs surprisingly little in the first months. A sling? A few outfits and diapers? A baby swing? California weather is a dream, and I am relieved that I won't have to mess with too much bundling this time around. And my mind continues to be blown by the fact that we will just have <i>one baby! </i>We are so excited, you guys. Having a new baby is magic.</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-85332096860928631522015-12-01T14:31:00.002-05:002015-12-01T14:31:56.734-05:00Under Big Trees<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We just wrapped up the most delightful week with family who came to visit us all the way from North Carolina. We walked around our little town, made candles, rode bikes. We sat around the house next to a warm fire, snacking and chatting and reading. And then after we ate a lot of tasty food and pie, we went up to the Redwoods to stroll around (and then drive into the cute little mountain town next door to eat some amazing pizza). I think that of all of the natural beauty out here, there is nothing that matches the Redwoods. Their age and scale and wisdom, it is truly something to behold.</div>
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We celebrated the first Sunday of Advent together before everyone went their separate ways, and there was something so sacred and life giving about praying together and singing together and looking towards the birth of Jesus with glad hearts. </div>
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Our family has experienced great loss this year, which was poignantly brought home this past week by the absence of Ben's brother John. It has been only a few months still, and we feel the weight of his loss. And honestly, that sadness feels like an appropriate response: I would never want to conceal it or sugar coat it. But there is a way that our hope transforms even our sadness. As we together recited the response for Sunday's Night prayer, "He will conceal you with his wings; you will not fear the terror of the night," I think we all felt the words with conviction. We still have so much goodness and beauty and joy in our midst-- and that is a testament to God's great provision for us.</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-47150392813578889662015-11-24T23:58:00.000-05:002015-11-24T23:58:05.601-05:00Advent and Premature Decorating <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I don't know what it's been over the past few weeks. The seasons changing (which they are, complete with colorful leaves and crisp fall weather)? Sickness working it's way through the house (and now on it's way out the door, knock on wood)? Nearing the advanced stages of this pregnancy, our own little advent in this family? Or maybe so many sad stories of violence both near and far? I find myself ever so ready this year for the Advent season, for joyfully waiting for and celebrating the great miracle of God incarnate among us.<br />
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The other day I was sleepy and sick, resting in bed while Ben and the kiddos embarked upon weekend adventures. I only have to be away from the fun for about thirty minutes before I start missing everyone, and when I crept downstairs, a full blown dance party was underway in our living room, with everyone from Zosia down to Clara and Dorothy shaking their stuff to Ben's eclectic dance mix. Those little ones have some moves, you guys! "Mommy loves this one," Ben said <a href="http://music.sufjan.com/track/the-friendly-beasts">as he changed the track</a>, and when he started the song I could only manage a smile for a second before I burst into tears, because isn't it all so beautiful and unlikely? And Ben held me while I cried for the entirety of that song, because there are very few things so good and true that they only get better and better over the course of a lifetime, and this is one of them. It is a good thing to cry about something like that.<br />
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On the home front, all of this has meant that I have embarked upon some utterly premature holiday decorating, which I blame in part on my nesting instincts and in part on my eagerness for it to just be Advent already. We even took our family Christmas photo this morning, which I will obviously hide from you until it is appropriate to share, but I got a kick out of some of those out takes. Twins in little gnome hats is among the cuter things I've seen this week.<br />
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We love Advent around here, and over the years I have realized that it takes surprisingly little work to create the space for a meaning filled advent. Simple rituals: the lighting of an advent wreath, the singing of an Advent song or two (O Come O Come Emmanuel is our daily tune), and the reading of a few sacred words together alone can create the feeling of a sacred time that is somehow set apart (It's all about <a href="http://simplelifemusings.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-wreath-and-nativity.html">a wreath and a nativity</a>, you guys!). This year I'm hoping to join the church in the reading of <a href="http://divineoffice.org/#sthash.5st1Dbf1.dpbs">one of the hours,</a> maybe Night Prayer, just because that is the time of day when things simmer down around here. The kids have already been asking about our advent celebrations, and it makes my heart so glad that they think of joyfully waiting for the arrival of Jesus rather than all the other <i>stuff</i> that can be so distracting this time of year.<br />
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Ben is out picking up some pretty awesome family from the airport as I write, and we brought home our Thanksgiving groceries this morning. Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays around, if you ask me. There is so much to be thankful for. So much, you guys. And then we just have a big party with all the best food to celebrate it, and a few days later we begin the Advent season. I hope you find yourself in the midst of the spirit of gratitude these coming days. Oh, and because I know I myself will be searching the blog for this turkey recipe within the next 24 hours, if you're still about to dash out to the store and haven't yet found a turkey recipe you love, <a href="http://simplelifemusings.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-polish-turkey-recipe-for-you.html">try my mom's</a>! It's totally the best, even though it will never be as good as when she herself makes it. Happy cooking!</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-26936745505770908792015-11-07T14:17:00.000-05:002015-11-07T14:17:09.483-05:00Halloween Roundup<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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::A pair of foxes, who, as you can tell, are quite taken with one another's tails.</div>
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::We convinced Hugo to change his costume from a frog fish (which is <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frogfish">a real animal</a>, by the way, which most of us have not heard of, except for Hugo, who wanted to be one for Halloween) to an Osprey, because at least a bird would be identifiable by most people, right?</div>
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::Lily the raccoon (thankfully, we had a mask on hand, because we learned the day of the school parade that Lily is severely allergic to even hypoallergenic face paint! For better or worse, this girl has inherited my sensitivity!).</div>
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::Zosia the deer. You may notice that she has both the speckles of a fawn and the horns of a buck, which, if you actually live in the country around deer, you will probably realize is not the way God created it. But it's cute anyway, right?!</div>
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::Ben the park ranger</div>
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::And the mama bear!</div>
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Oh, you guys. I love this time of year. I take everything back I said about California being too warm and too sunny all the time, because it turns out that when, paired with a slight cooling of the temperatures, daylights savings time, and a fun holiday like Halloween, fall is glorious even in sunny California. </div>
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There were times "back East" (as everyone around here seems to refer to it) that, I will admit, daylights savings time felt kind of cruel. It was getting cold and rainy, the foliage was all dying, and as if you aren't already adjusting to your inability to be outside, just like that it started getting dark early. Last year was probably the first year that I met all these changes with downright dread, an experience so common that those of us from back East have given it a clinical name.</div>
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But on the West Coast, fall is gentle and mild. There is no sudden temperature snap, no weekend when all the beautiful leaves fall to the ground, no drama. I will admit, I do miss the drama. But if you tune in closely, you do feel a shift, and the mornings are cooler, the sky is especially clear, and at night it feels cosy to be tucked under an extra blanket. I make applesauce at least once a week, and Clara has decided that the only way she will nap is once she has fallen very soundly asleep on the shoulder of someone she loves, which has resulted in some wonderful afternoon snuggles. And truth be told, when the time changed, it suddenly felt just right: dinners with a candle, slightly earlier bedtimes, and we even turned the heating on for the first time this week.</div>
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I think what I love about Halloween is the creativity: the excitement and imagination involved in dressing up in a costume and taking on another identity. Over the years we've often developed a tradition of making costumes, which, despite the *ahem* lackluster craftsmanship involved, is something the kids love and look forward to, and I think there's nothing that pairs better with more time indoors than unlocking some creative energy. I think this year might be my favorite year yet, and I do believe that there is nothing that makes it feel like fall more than Halloween.</div>
Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4025863699508941558.post-51357224505629770582015-10-28T17:33:00.003-04:002015-10-28T17:33:55.484-04:00Inside and Out, and the Changing of Seasons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi there! Happy fall? Not really yet for us, but people keep telling me it's coming one of these days. The other day the girls and I were riding bikes to school on a pleasant 65 degree morning, and we passed another cyclist who was wearing mittens and a hat, I kid you not. Oh, that gave me a good chuckle, because these Californians are soft when it comes to the weather. Here in San Jose it is just about always sunny and pleasant, usually somewhere in the 70s or 80s, and would you believe I miss moody weather?! The other weekend we went up to San Francisco for the first time with some friends and the city was covered with a dense fog, and it was the perfect change of pace. Ha! Who would ever guess it would be the rain, the clouds, the unexpected chills that I would miss most.</div>
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On the home front, things have pleasantly full. We have settled into a sustainable and energizing rhythm of life, with each member of the family finding his or her own routine, all brought together by the gatherings of our whole family together. School, and play, and little adventures, and work, all beginning and ending together in what has come to feel like our home. All of those little rituals, like gathering together for dinner, reading stories before bed together, making something special for breakfast on the weekends, seem quaint and charming when your children are all little, but as they start to increasingly venture out into the world, those little acts become the thread that hold the family together. I have noticed what fullness and joy they offer, even on those days that a certain pair of toddler girls sit at the table for about twenty seconds before clearly declaring "All done!" and gesturing to be lifted onto Ben or my lap for the remainder of the meal. One day they will linger at the table, but for now they wiggle and squirm in their 22 month old beauty, and I know I will miss it one day.</div>
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Just as reliably, I have started to feel times of day that were once an expected quiet time, time I could spend writing, or exercising, or cooking quietly, start to be filled with other meaningful things, like giving Hugo a reading lesson, or corralling a twin who has escaped from her crib (oh.my.goodness. I didn't know this could happen. None of our kids have been crib escapers, and we had a very stressful couple of weeks before we discovered <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crib-Tent--Pop-up-Safety-Net/dp/B00Q8KAWUY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446067171&sr=8-1&keywords=crib+tent">these miracle tents </a> which have been lifesavers.). Luckily, we have a lot of support out here, so I've found ways to keep things feeling sustainable, ways to carve out time for meaningful things in new places. Flexibility and resilience seem to be such key parenting traits, I pray I will increase in both of those things!</div>
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It's funny that even though the weather hasn't changed for us, I am still feeling the pull of the changing seasons-- cooking stews and soups, any recipe I can find that includes pumpkin, and leaving blankets around the house (which we use every single morning and evening, because it does get chilly!). I think as a lifetime east coaster those seasonal rhythms will be something I can never shake. And our ten day forecast includes three days with a high in the 60s, so maybe fall is coming our way after all (fingers crossed!). </div>
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And with that I'm off to work on some Halloween costumes. Halloween is sort of a big deal around here, and for the first time ever we have a whole family theme costume! I can't wait to show you! Oh, and I'm suddenly quite pregnant! I have a lot to fill you in on!</div>
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Adelehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03527451780743595255noreply@blogger.com2