December

I have not been taking pictures.

I have not been writing.

I have not been blogging.

I have been living. Playing, gardening in the rain, wrapping presents, baking Bourbon Pecan Chews and Cranberry Nut Bread, eating, going for walks, visiting with friends, visiting with family, and watching each moment of 2010 slip away in a sweet afterglow while 2011 knocks at the door, beckoning.

When we open the door on New Year's Day, I hope to find joy, compassion, adventure, excitement, peace and most importantly love.

Merry Christmas to all of you! See you in the new year!

An Obvious Metaphor

We stopped for a quick hike the other day.

Sometimes, we throw our rocks in the stream to hear the satisfying splash and watch the ripples spreading over the surface... and sometimes we carry our rocks carefully from the beginning of the trail to the bitter end.


Oh, the metaphors!

Thankful Thinking

Owen's homework yesterday was to write down five things he was thankful for. Here are his perfectly practical and wonderful answers:

1. I am thankful for my family because they gave birth to me.
2. I am thankful for water because if there was no water everybody would die.
3. I am thankful for food because it is flavorful.
4. I am thankful for my house because I have shelter if it rains.
5. I am thankful for the earth because it is the only planet that you can live on.

Really, that sums it all up.

Although I would add I am thankful for neighbors who let your kids play in their backyard for an hour so you can catch up on blog posts.

And also, I am deeply thankful for vegan pumpkin pie. Mmmmm. The house smells tantalizing... I can't wait for dinner tonight!

The Enchanted Bamboo Forest

This was our Saturday at the San Diego Botanic Garden: a beautiful mix of good friends, beautiful weather and the twinkling gold twilight of fall. I hope your November is unfolding beautifully too!

A Special Preview

Only a few days left until Halloween. I've managed to squeeze in collecting, sewing, assembling and thrift store browsing between school, golf classes and piano lessons (Owen), and co-op preschool, play dough escapades and visits to the Maritime Museum (Elliot).

We still have to (can't wait to!) carve some pumpkins and make some trick or treat bags but my biggest question is what am I going to be for Halloween?

9 to 5; or Eat the Frog First

Paul and I like to intone half-mockingly in a stentorian voice the following adage: "Man works from sun to sun, but woman's work is never done". It's such an old fashioned and cliched sentiment that it's a bit of a running joke in our family. And yet, my half mocking voice becomes more and more earnest each time I say it.

Seriously, I NEVER sit down.

Sometimes I'm a little jealous that Paul wakes up and starts his daily routine and launches into his day with the full knowledge that he knows where he must be and who he must talk to and what he must do... and then he knows he'll be home for dinner and a relaxing evening watching Netflix or playing his guitar.

I thought about this the other day as I scrambled to make the kids lunches and get them dressed and then wondered if I could possibly accomplish all the little things on my list before lunchtime. All the things on my list are not required, but are necessary for the smooth operation of our lives. After all, I can let the laundry pile up but then there would be overwhelming despair from Elliot that his favorite shirt isn't clean, or Owen would run out of clean socks for school. Neither of which are really major problems in the big picture, of course, but ones which I can easily avoid by just keeping the laundry clean and put away.

Then there are the dishes. Ugh. It's my own fault but by the end of the day I can't possibly wash a sink full of dirty dishes. and every time I make the conscious choice to leave them and wash them in the morning it inevitably makes my next morning that much more stressed because now not only do I have to pack lunches, get dressed, get the kids ready for school and get out the door, I ALSO have to wash last night's dinner dishes. WHY oh WHY do I think postponing them would make it easier on me? (I go through this dirty dishes experience several times a week and you'd think I'd learn to bite the bullet, but somehow I never figure it out.)

This all sounds like complaining, but really it's not. No really, it's not. I love domesticity.

Today, for example, was a lovely day. Elliot and I walked Owen to school and then came home and made two batches of playdough, juiced some apples, made homemade applesauce and then baked some apple walnut muffins... I realized at lunch time that our beautiful day together was spent almost entirely in the kitchen. It was wonderful. Clearly, on days when I can choose to make my own activities I always choose to be domestic in the kitchen. If I have free time, I bake. That's what I do! I even like cleaning dishes and vacuuming. Call me crazy but I do.

Except when it starts getting out of control. It's the piling up that drives me bonkers.

On one of those mama blogs that I like to read (see my blog links on the right), a long time ago I read an anecdote that (paraphrased) goes something like: if you have a list of things to do in a day and one of those is not at all what you want to do, then do the horrible one first. As in, I have to go grocery shopping, eat a frog, balance my checkbook and bake some bread. Well, Eat the Frog first and the rest of the day will be fantastic. Otherwise the lingering dread of that frog will hover and ruin your day.

Now I'm thinking I need to heed that advice. My daily 6am to Midnight (definitely NOT 9-5) endless motion is accelerating and I have to remember to Eat that Frog.

Apple Harvest

Mmmmm. Apple Pumpkin Pie and a cup of coffee makes the perfect ending to a beautiful weekend.

Feeling Lucky

I'm in rehearsal most nights, during the day I'm teaching a variety of classes and driving all over town working on a million little projects.... plus there's laundry, cooking, cleaning and chauffering. So it's good to start the day with this:
...aren't I lucky?

Today, I have lines to memorize, lesson plans to finalize and a million little projects to organize (everything I'm doing these days seems to end in "--ize"!) but despite all this, Elliot and I are going to the Zoo!

He plans to wear his Robin Hood costume again (and again, and again...)

Have a nice day everyone!