HomeLife
How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives. - Annie Dillard
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the twilight zone
Have you ever spent one entire day thinking it was actually another day? You know, like writing down the wrong date all day or suddenly being surprised to discover it’s Wednesday when you thought it was Tuesday? I think maybe that happened to me today. I knew it was Wednesday. We had our co-op. That’s always on a Wednesday. But somehow I still feel as if I missed a day somewhere. Like one just slipped through my fingers. It doesn’t really surprise me though. Maybe it disappoints me. But it doesn’t surprise me. I spent an entire year thinking I was thirty-seven years old, only to discover on my birthday…
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Christmas Traditions
One small tradition we started a couple of years ago that I thought maybe I’d quietly back my way out of this year is the goofy little Christmas chain. The kids already asked me about this year’s chain before December even hit the calendar. So I coordinated and googled and pinterested (see how I made two words turn into verbs even when no one should do that?) and made a list of plans to write on the paper chains for all of the days leading up to Christmas. Some days were easy to plan – like Mosely’s birthday and the arrival of Papaw and Grandma and the arrival of Oma…
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good words VII
It is a miracle if you can find true friends, and it is a miracle if you have enough food to eat, and it is a miracle if you get to spend your days and evenings doing whatever it is you like to do, and the holiday season – like all the other seasons – is a good time not only to tell stories of miracles, but to think about the miracles in your own life, and to be grateful for them, and that’s the end of this particular story. – taken from a Lemony Snicket novel
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simple math
A drive south. plus A date night in Decatur. plus Good food at a cool restaurant that has what has to be the world’s coolest door handle ever. plus Dessert at a restaurant that perfectly fits Kevin and I. Cake & Ale. I loves me some cake and Kevin loves him some craft beers. plus Watching our buddy Tyler perform in his second ever live comedy show at Eddie’s Attic. equals A perfectly lovely way to spend an evening.
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The Christmas Memories
I’ve never really been one to go overboard on Christmas decorations. It’s hard to know where to store the stuff you pack up to get out all the Christmas goods. But my momma wasn’t like me. Goodness – she loved to decorate for the holiday. All through the house, everything, every room, received a Christmas makeover. This Christmas, living in this Wildwood house, all these wooden floors and extra mantles, a grand foyer and a set of stairs, well – I think it’s tapped into a touch of the Christmas decorating gene I can only assume comes from my mother’s Norton side. What with all the free hemlock branches and…
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fermenting
We made this. And by this I mean the liquid inside the bottle. And by we I mean Kevin and our friend Ben. It’s hard cider. Hard apple cider. Hard apple cider crafted by hand from apples picked in nearby North Carolina at our favorite orchard Skytop. I think they’re calling it Spider Cider. It’s been a work in progress. A learning experience. An art. An act of patience and perseverance. A lot of knowledge and know how on Ben’s part. A curiosity and willingness to learn on Kevin’s. (Mostly Alli and I just hung out while the process has been perking.) But today we celebrated. We ate lunch. We…
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battleground.
I’m not raising babies any longer. I was watching Otto rest in our bed last night, Kevin and I lying on either side of him – gazing at his freshly cut mo-hawk. (His request. His repeated request, actually.) He’s so capable. Been wearing big boy boxers for almost a year. Sticking his hands in his pockets. Conversing and sharing his thoughts and ideas. My days at home have changed. Oh – and how they’ve changed. I’m no longer shuffling nap times and scheduling my mornings to be home at a certain time. No directing of toddler-time activities and monitoring the play dough intake. There’s not a calendar on my fridge…
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what a grandpa does
Grandpas aren’t just good for taking naps in the hammock with. (Although no one was complaining about that treat.) They are also great for playing chess. Learning new strategies. And being reminded that Grandpa is not the kind of man that’s going to let you win. If you conquer him – you’ll know you’ve earned it, fair and square.
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the crying game.
My mother-in-law was a crier. A bona-fide crier. The Real Deal. Commercials. (Back when you had no choice but to view them in between your television show which you could not DVR.) Weddings. Novels. Birthdays. Graduations. The wind blowing. And – although I’m ashamed to admit this even now – her crying would sometimes embarrass me. I didn’t know how to handle it. I was a non-crier. Of the worst kind —- a prideful non-crier. Her tears made me uncomfortable. I didn’t have the right words to say. I wasn’t sure if I should hug her or leave her alone. I just didn’t understand. I guess I hadn’t lived long enough…
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satisfied.
Thanksgiving has passed. I cried out for help. You answered the call. Thank you very much. All in all, I think it was a pretty fabulous day of giving thanks and eating delicious food and relaxing with friends and family. I hope yours was as well. The day before the food feast, the kids went to work crafting personalized place mats for every member of our family, as well as our six guests. We used supplies we had on hand – which turned out to be primarily felt – and I think the results are sweet. We saved our own and let the guests take theirs home. We’ll definitely do…
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my holiday cry for help.
Quick. My oldest daughter thinks we do not celebrate Thanksgiving in a very traditional fashion. (She’s partially correct.) Although this hasn’t always been true – our current Thanksgivings do not stir up entirely festive picture-worthy moments. They’ve been good – pleasant, even. Just not family-drenched moments of memory. Something about not having mothers to herald and corral and cajole shifts the tides of holidays. But I’m the mother now – and sometimes I need to be reminded that it’s my job to be Official Holiday Memory Maker. The torches have been passed. I keep trying to remind her of all the Thanksgivings of the past. Ones spent at my family’s…
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happy friday.
I ran this morning! (Thanks Heather!) And since it was at 6 A.M. (!) and it was 29 degrees I think that’s a giant leap toward discipline points – right? Now I have time to type this, tidy up the laundry room and prep a little school for the day. (Or time to go back to bed. Whichever.) Also. Yesterday I called a trash collection place – pretty sure they have a different title than that – and signed us up for the delivery of our very own giant green trash can. Just like all the regular people have. Next week we’ll get to see if hauling it down our…
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What it is.
Two weekends ago I attended a wedding shower for a friend. Last weekend I attended another wedding shower for a different friend. Sunday we were sitting in a field with an incredibly lovely mountain top view watching two sweet friends holding hands and exchanging promises. Love. It’s just all over the place this month. Love. I like weddings. I like romance. I like the idealism associated with newlyweds and young love. It’s the beginning and it’s sticky sweet and it’s hopeful and it’s full of glowing words and bold proclamations. It’s nice. But when I saw this instagram picture on my phone last week, I was reminded of the kind…
