5 November

Oh, dear friends, thank you for your warm and loving response to last night's post. I am so grateful for your empathy, your own stories, you encouragement, your advice. I feel so lifted up, and I hope you all do, too. A burden shared really is a burden lessened. 

My husband's school is doing their school musical right now (right after marching band season! Ack! More nights away!) They are doing "Fiddler on the Roof", and today he came home from their "tech rehearsal" whistling some of the tunes. It made me think of this Sabbath scene in the movie, one of my favorite movies scenes ever. Though I don't share this faith or these rituals, this image of a family celebrating a weekly tradition (here, so simple: a loaf of braided bread, candles, prayers -- and yet, so profound, as the celebration of the Jewish sabbath is) and praying for their hopes for their children is one that I treasure. 

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnaZqHy2ZHE?rel=0] 

It has me thinking tonight of the small rituals we have as a family, and how there is still more I'd like to incorporate in the rhythm of our days and weeks to set aside as sacred -- not just in the spiritual/religious sense, but also in terms of the sacredness of our life as a family right now. I have a sense that time with these young ones under our roof is fleeting and to be treasured, and I would like to communicate that to them even more in our family life.

I'm wondering, what small traditions are most valuable to your families, and what little rituals have you valued as your children have grown?

4 November

{unrelated photo of tea with cream! gasp! so very un-English of me, I know!}

I've been a bit gloomy (and very stressed) lately, and I have decided to talk about it. I try to be pretty honest here -- obviously, the purpose of this blog isn't complaining, so I don't write about every single bad thing that happens, but I value candor, and I know from your comments and emails that you do, too.

This fall, our family has found ourselves in the worst financial situation we've been in for many years. Right after my husband was hired for his new job, the school district made cuts to teachers' salaries. He really loves his new job, but his base salary is less than it's been in a while, and at his last job, he had a lot of little extra things that added up to a pretty decent amount of money for our little family. I am completely optimistic that things will improve somewhat drastically next fall (for a number of reasons -- some changes we can make in our insurance, the fact that my husband will be eligible for some student loan forgiveness after having taught for 5 years in low-income schools, the fact that his extra-duty band director pay will go up a bit, and hopefully the base salary, too). 

We've never been rich. We're a family of five with a public school teacher's salary. It's not the way to riches. But we've been gradually more comfortable. This fall, real worry has set in for us. I fret about things, anyway, but it's even worse when we can't buy our kids coats and don't know how we'll pay for food and gas for the month. We make just enough too much to qualify for any "help". And our parents, too, are just keeping up in this economy. 

It's a frustrating place to be, but at the same time, I know we're not alone in it. I don't have any answers. But I can tell you, we had our favorite yellow dal for dinner tonight, a meal that is cheap and so delicious. We are having friends over for dinner tomorrow and I realized I can make another Indian-inspired meal for them that will cost us next to nothing (we already had all the ingredients in our pantry and freezer except the coconut milk). 

One day at a time. This is a lesson I know I need to learn. Today we have food enough in our bellies, and gas in our car. Today we are comfortable and safe and warm. Today we have everything to be thankful for.

Somehow this verse (Luke 12:27-31) just keeps finding its way to me. These words, spoken so long ago, are exactly what is meant to be said to me, and perhaps some of you, today. I hope you find comfort and hope in them, even if this lesson is as hard for you as it is for me. 

Consider the lilies, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass which is alive in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O men of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be of anxious mind. For all the nations of the world seek these things; and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well.

3 November

I'm so very tired tonight. I think it's all that candy. I have got to get the stuff out of here! (It really is almost gone, thankfully.) It's been leaving us all a little strung out, I think. 

Anyway, being very tired, I'm not going to say too much tonight.

My best friend of the last 11 years, Rebecca (of pumpkin carving fame), had her first baby in August. His name is Sid, and I am his number-one fan. Or, his number-something fan, after his mama and daddy and grandparents and whatnot. (That is the remnant of a little face-paint caterpillar on his cheek, in case you are curious.)

Before he was born, I knitted him a little sweater.

It's the Baby Boy 5-hour Sweater, a pattern I love and which went so fast. The yarn is Malabrigo worsted in Stone Blue, with a bit of Sunset around the neck, just for fun. (That particular skein of Sunset, which I bought to edge Fiona's bunting before she was born, is probably my favorite single skein of yarn ever. It is so amazingly soft and fluffy, even more than usual.) The blue was a bit more subtle/grayish than it looks in these photos, but no amount of tweaking I could do in iPhoto was really getting the colors right. The buttons are from Stefanie Style on Etsy, and absolutely perfect for this project. (Also, I didn't sew them on with the yarn all cockeyed like that; I think the top button was just twisted in these.)

Thank you, Rebecca, for having baby Sid so I can knit stuff for him. 

2 November

Today is All Souls' Day, and we are quietly enjoying a beautiful snowy day at home, thinking of those who have gone before us. 

And thinking a little more about last weekend's fun, too.

Our annual trip to our favorite pumpkin farm, this year complete with snow from a few days earlier -- and gloriously muddy!

Our pumpkin carving party with my friend Rebecca and her sweet family (her baby boy's very first pumpkin carving party!). {One of our favorite sources for pumpkin carving inspiration remains this book.}

Everything autumn. (Fiona's silly bagel face early in the morning on our way to church.)

Trick-or-treating with my sister, my mom, and one of my best friends in our city's small downtown. (Where Elisabeth and James both got a turn "driving" the tractor for hay rides!)

Trick-or-treating around our neighborhood, too. (This exciting house is directly across the street from us!)

Too much sugar. 

Snow. Snow! It's literally impossible for me to be unhappy when there's snow. 

{Also, some things I'm excited about right now: habit is open for submissions all of November in the flickr group, and the iPhone is now available for Sprint, my carrier. That makes me happy in a silly way, even though I can't afford a new phone in the immediate future. Hee.}

Arr, tharr be pirates, ye scoundrels!

My kids have been really into pirates for what seems like ages now (probably more than a year). James has been drawing treasure maps on every piece of paper he can find (carefully "authenticating" it by crumpling and tearing, as well). About six months ago, we had the opportunity to see real pirate artifacts (and even touch some of the only pirate treasure ever recovered) in this fanstastic touring museum exhibit. After that, the idea of being pirates for Halloween was pretty much determined. (How much do I love that we are still on the matchy-matchy costumes?)

(I hate that I have to do this, but a disclaimer: we do not glorify piracy or the actions of real pirates, past or present, in our house. It is a fantasy character, plain and simple.)

I think it's interesting to observe how the popular image of what a pirate looks like has changed since I was a little girl. I realized, as we were out trick-or-treating, first in our small downtown's trick or treat street, and then later in our own neighborhood, how much the "look" of a pirate has been influenced, for better or worse, by Captain Jack Sparrow. I think that even children who haven't seen the movies (as I presume most little ones haven't) think of a pirate as looking that way, with the belts and the sash and the rings and so on, as opposed to my childhood image of pirates, which was perhaps a bit more Mr. Smee in nature. Anyway, when we began discussing what costume elements were absolutely necessary in the pirate costumes, the first things to come up (besides the hats, which we already had in our dress up bin) were the belts and sashes.

{blurry, but I couldn't resist the leaves!}

These costumes were the easiest I've made in my Halloween costume-making career (which is quite extensive -- these brought my costume-making tally up to 19!!). I only had to sew the shirts and the vests. (Fiona didn't get a vest because, frankly, I didn't think it would have much dress-up play value and didn't seem absolutely necessary. She certainly didn't care.) I tore the fabric for the sashes, and we got pants and belts at the thrift store. They also each wore a couple of rings. Elisabeth had one costume ring, but the rest of the rings were fashioned with large buttons and pipe cleaners!

Altogether, these costumes were easy and very fun. (And cheap! We only had to buy the striped fabric for the sashes and thrift the pants! Everything else was made from materials or items we had on hand.)

{a bit of pirate attitude}

Details:

Shirt "un-pattern" here. I used an old sheet for Fiona's shirt, and some muslin I had in my stash for Elisabeth & James's shirts. I did the collars and cuffs slightly differently on each shirt, and can't really say which turned out best. They're all different, I suppose.

Vest "un-pattern" here. I didn't love the way I drew the bottoms of my vests, but I threw them together at the last minute because the kids decided after trying everything on with the shirts that something was missing. I wish I had taken a bit more time with the vests, but they look fine for Halloween costumes. I used the idea suggested on the Wee Folk Art site to make it seem like there is a missing button. I tied some string on the button side and the buttonhole opposite it is non functional. Elisabeth's vest was made out of some corduroy I'd had for several years and James's was made with some linen that I got for a song years ago, as well -- I had maybe 10 yards of it just going unused! What an odd purchase. They are both lined with this fantastic, funky vintage fabric that I got from Jodi, also ages ago. (I need to get some pictures with the lining showing, it's so great.) The buttons are some random "brass" buttons I had in my stash, probably cut off of blazers at some point. Altogether, the vests are my favorite part of the costumes.

The idea for the rings out of buttons and pipe cleaners was also from this site! It was very useful in fashioning our pirate costumes this year!           

Edited: Oh, gosh, and I almost forgot one of the best parts of this story. I sewed several of these costume pieces with a kitten sitting on my shoulder. That's right, mateys, I have a kitten parrot! 

Once again, we were delighted to have fun, homemade costumes as part of our celebration. (Just a bit more about Halloween tomorrow, too!) What about you? What kind of costuming did you do this year?

Boo!

Happy Halloween, friends! Sorry I haven't been here all week, I've been really stressed (maybe more on that later). But tonight, we are headed out with three pirates, mateys! Pictures tomorrow!

I plan to post every day in November again, as I have the last several years. Please join me here each day (I'll probably post after my kids are in bed, so it may either be late at night or early the following morning for some of you). As always, I love to hear from you! It makes being here every day much easier and more motivating when I hear from you in the comments. 

Oh! And by the way, as you may have noticed over there on the left, Uncommon Grace is now on Facebook for your liking pleasure! I'm posting links, sharing bits of our days, and answering your questions. Please come on over! 

See you tomorrow! 

21 October

Thanks for sharing our excitement regarding Millie! We are so happy to have her, what fun it is to enjoy the antics of a kitten!

Today is a lovely warm autumn day, with the smell of dry leaves on the air. I have a big pot of beans cooking for supper. I spent a bit of time seriously researching the method for the one piece of attire I'll be required to construct for this year's Halloween costumes (a bit of a departure since before this, all of my children's costumes have been completely sewn by me -- and for the last 5 years, they've all been documented here, too!). Today is my husband's last day of marching band! (Which began on July 5! I'm so looking forward to having him home a bit more ... since August 1, he's been away an average of 70-80 hours a week, which is too much and has been exhausting for everyone.)

A new magazine and my knitting are beckoning. My children are playing hide and seek (all three! together! it feels like a small miracle!). Two animals are snoozing happily. I have a glass of seltzer to enjoy. 

It's kind of a perfect day. 

Wishing you a weekend full of this kind of simple perfection.

Millie

We got a kitten. 

It was a spontaneous decision. And like anything spontaneous, it feels a bit radical.

Her name is Millie. She weighs just about a pound. The first day, she scared us all with some ninja moves, but that has since settled down. 

Now she snuggles in bed with any and all of us (even our crotchety old beagle pup). I told my husband that there is something so wonderful about the objectivity of an animal; the fact that she loves us is strangely validating ("Hey! We're not that bad!").

I've learned that black kittens are not that easy to photograph, especially in the imperfect lighting conditions that exist in this house. And she's FAST. And when she's asleep, you can't really even see her face, it's so black. And we can't take her outside, because, as I mentioned, she's FAST. 

So, these are all the pictures in existence of her, and probably all there are likely to be for a while. 

She has pounced and purred and curled and scratched her way right into all our hearts. Even me, the grumpy old cat-hater that I am. Or was. 

All is beautiful and well.

It's official

Autumn. My favorite season of them all (and I do know that I love them all).

I don't have a lot to say tonight. But I figure, just being here, sharing a stack of photos, is enough, really. Sarah wrote a beautiful post today about this medium, the connections that it has brought many of us, its value in our lives. You should read it. Really. Maybe blogging is getting kind of old-fashioned compared to all the other social media around now. But on the other hand, it has mattered, and continues to matter, to so many of us. 

So look through my photos. Let's pretend we're sharing a meal together, maybe the dal I've made twice in the last ten days. Or sitting on my couch with a cup of my favorite decadent hot chocolate. Or maybe with a cup of tea (Cold Care P.M. is replacing my usual Earl Grey this week), and a favorite catalog to peruse. Talking about autumn, that certain slant of light, those chilly evenings and the days that still hold on to some of summer's warmth. And connecting. Connection is all I've really ever wanted from blogging, and it has delivered a hundred-fold.

Here's that dal I promised. This is the next day for lunch, cold, and even better.

Delicious Mexican hot chocolate, with a generous dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle of my favorite Vietnamese cinnamon.

My favorite way to spend an evening, holed up with tea and catalogs.

Serious, this one.

Autumn, glorious autumn. How grateful I am for this favorite season of mine, and for all of you, out there, reading this, commenting, and connecting. 

1 September

{This was yesterday's post -- my thoughts turned toward the new beginnings of September -- but I couldn't post it yesterday because my camera software was corrupted and had to be reinstalled, and I couldn't find the disk until today!}

So, it's the first of September. I can hardly believe it! August zipped by in a flurry of chaos and adjustment, and this September promises to bring many good things. I'm thinking back to a year ago, when my husband was in the midst of the worst of his illness. We didn't know what the future would bring and I tried to distract myself from the unspeakable fear. A year later, things are so much brighter. What a difference one year can make!

I wrote a "back to (home)school" post last week that needs some editing and tweaking before I publish it, but today I want to write a little bit about rhythm, something that I know is on the minds of many during this time of year.

Rhythm has become a bit of a buzzword around blogworld. People talk about it and think about it a lot. For some, it's kind of become synonymous with a schedule of sorts, for others, it's a way of consciously structuring the things that repeat in their weeks -- whether the things that need to be done (errands, shopping, baking), or that they want to get done (art projects, hikes, etc.).

I wanted to propose another way of thinking about rhythm.

For me, rhythm is the way a family's days "go" at a given time in their lives. It may be quiet and inward, it may be wild and boisterous. It may be oriented toward a season or holiday, it may be free-form. But, to my way of looking at it, it's not imposed or structured, but develops organically over time, and shifts happens subtly. It's like realizing that you've fallen into step with your walking companion -- serendipitous, happy, natural. Though there have been many times where I've felt it necessary to institute a schedule to our days, it never works for the long term. I believe that's because a schedule can never take into account all the various things that really make up our family's unique rhythm.

Sometimes a rhythm is necessarily dictated by things that are scheduled, like this summer when we were swimming three hours throughout the day. But most often, for us, it's the smaller things, like the way my children are playing (together, and separately) at the moment. The things we are enjoying eating, and therefore, their preparation. The creative outlets that pull at each of us. 

I could not write down a "schedule" to what our rhythm looks like. It's not a "breakfast at 8, tidy up at 8:30, stories at 9, outside at 9:45" type of thing. And yet, we do find that there are things we do every day, in roughly the same order. And it shifts over time, with the seasons, with the things we have going on. Naps happen at roughly the same time. We all need time to read and relax and be quiet, to work on projects alone or together, to care for our home. 

This fall, we are trying something a little bit different for "schooling" than we've done in the past (more on that in my upcoming "back to (home)school" post), and I want to find a way to gently work it into our days without disrupting the good rhythmic elements that are in place already. I know that we're finding our way into a new rhythm right now, anyway, as autumn approaches (100 degrees today, but in the 70's by the weekend!), as we continue to adjust to daddy's new work schedule, as preparation for Halloween begins to be a part of our creative consciousness. So, I guess I'm not too worried about how adding some schooling back into our days will be. At first, it's going to be one of those "scheduled" things that the rest of our rhythm will move and stretch itself around. And my hope is that on the best of days, it will become part of that daily rhythm, that breath of our family's life together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm very much interested in reading Amanda's new book, The Rhythm of Family, which I think must touch on what I've written here, because ever since this post nearly five years ago, I've felt that her way of looking at rhythm was similar to mine. The book hasn't found its way across my threshold yet, but it will soon, I hope. :)

I've been doing this for two weeks, and I love it. It's a way to briefly jot down my impressions of the day, without giving it too much thought, without laboring over it like a blog post, or editing what I say for others to read on Facebook or Twitter. It's just a little bit of my own memories of our days. And it even sends reminder emails, so I've not missed a single day. Such a simple way of recording these days of ours, and their unique rhythmic ebb and flow.

And finally, feeling such gratitude tonight for the health of my mother-in-law, who had a medical procedure today, for my best friend's sweet new baby boy, and for my brother, who will tie the knot on Monday! (Oh, and that my children don't have any squeamishness about insects.)

{Edited to add: I do feel that intention is so very important in family life, but I also don't believe that deciding to myself "Wouldn't it be nice if our days went like this?" and then writing it down makes it our family's rhythm. If that makes sense. This is meant to share my ideas about rhythm, not to criticize those who use the term to mean more of a schedule! In some ways, it's just semantics. Whatever you call these things, we all have both natural patterns to our days, and things that we need to schedule.}

A week in the life : Friday

Yesterday, we:

• I had a dentist appointment first thing, so my husband, who had teacher planning but no students or meetings that day, stayed home long enough for me to go. It was great to slip away by myself, and I hoped to fit in 10 glorious minutes of knitting in the waiting room, but they called me right back. Darn!
• took a mid-morning nap (all of us, except Daddy, who headed back to work)
• had a variation of a beet salad that Kyrie shared years ago for lunch (on her old blog, so there's no link, but it's essentially: equal parts lightly boiled or steamed beets cut into matchsticks -- as you can see, mine are sliced, but matchsticks are better -- and green beans, also very lightly steamed. Toss with nuts of your choice -- Kyrie suggested hazelnuts, I think?, but I used walnuts -- dress with your favorite dressing -- I mix up my own -- and crumble some cheese on top [blue cheese, feta, goat cheese, etc.] -- which I omit because Elisabeth doesn't like cheese)
• more laundry and dishes
• picked up my sister and niece (the house above is not theirs, but is up the street from theirs -- they live in a great old city neighborhood)
• spent the afternoon at IKEA with my sister and niece
• saw a double rainbow out the window while eating supper there, which was extremely hard to photgraph through those windows, as they were not that clean ;)
• bought nothing at IKEA 
• spent the evening playing at my sister's house
• came home, kids asleep in the car, to find that my husband had picked up a 6-pack of hard cider for us to enjoy together with fans blowing the cool of the night into our living room
• made yesterday's post before absolutely crashing into bed!

This was maybe my favorite day of the week so far, even though I don't love shopping and so a trip to IKEA isn't really my ideal way to spend a day. But I really, really love hanging out with my sister and we don't get to do it often enough because of our husbands' widely divergent work schedules. (Not that we can't do stuff with the dads along, but we rarely do because of family time.)

I'm having fun with these and I'm looking forward to sharing the last two days with you!

A week in the life : Thursday

I almost didn't squeeze this post in today, but here I am, just minutes before midnight. I was with my sister today. One should never assume that a day spent with one's sister will end at a reasonable hour. Ahem.

So....

Yesterday, we:

• had whole wheat toast with butter and preserves for breakfast, same as the day before
• went to James's swimming lesson. He "dove" off the diving board twice (really a front-leaning jump -- almost belly flop)
• played dress-up. I'm loving Fiona's particular sense of humor these days.
• laundry and dishes, laundry and dishes.
• had some lunchtime shenanigans based on these dogs (the dogs are funny, but my kids imitating them is downright hilarious.)
• James proudly hand-sewed some fabric together, his first sewing project (unassisted by me!)
• did a doll performance in the living room
• played outside for a long time
• it was cool and so pleasant!
• practiced writing cursive (even James had a go with a "J")
• enjoyed some chips with salsa made by one of my best friends!
• had baked chicken, brown rice, and salad (with lettuce from our CSA and mustard greens from a friend) for dinner
• enjoyed animal crackers as before-bed treat
• listened to the crickets as we drifted off in our (cool) beds

A week in the life : Wednesday

I only took a handful of photos yesterday. It was a bit of an off day. I woke up to bad news about a friend, and it clouded the day. It was also another day spent doing doll work and I don't want to give away too much of that. :) 

But here is what I have!

Yesterday, we:

-had fresh-baked whole wheat bread (from our bread machine), butter, and fruit preserves for breakfast

-went to James's swimming lesson. My kids have, for many years, liked to be "wrapped up like burritos" in their towels after swimming, and I don't know that I've ever photographed it or documented it anywhere, but it's something I don't want to forget.

-I knitted a whole row while at the pool. At least that's an improvment over the previous day!

-stayed and visited with a friend at the pool for a while

-the heat we'd been experiencing (a month of temperatures over 90 degrees) broke, which was a relief -- our house has been so hot and muggy!

-had a quick and light lunch (tortillas with shredded beef)

-worked on dolls for most of the afternoon

-had pasta and homemade sauce for supper

-spent the evening (and late into the night) at the home of some friends -- I had my camera with me, but we were having so much fun, I didn't snap a single photo!

Looking at the few photos I have from yesterday, I realize that I slipped a bit back into my usual photo style, and I'm trying again today to step out of that comfort zone a bit more.

A week in the life : Tuesday

Yesterday, we:

-had potato and leftover pulled pork hash, watermelon, and orange juice for breakfast

-went to James's swimming lesson

-I knitted exactly half a row at the pool

-went to our neighborhood health food store (where I used to do most of our grocery shopping, but with a bigger family, more expenses, etc., we now carefully choose the things that are most important to buy there)

-laughed at a funny dog in the car parked next to us

-stopped for a (rare) treat at Dairy Queen

-came home and built little forts in the living room

-read lots of books

-worked and worked on dolls

-simple lunch and supper of leftovers and fresh produce from our CSA were quickly prepared by Elisabeth while I worked the afternoon and evening away

-Daddy got home at 8pm, after his first afternoon marching band practice (he thinks this will be typical for at least the first half of the season)

-I stayed up super late, working, and also reading (I have summer homework that I haven't even looked at yet! Oops!)

Thanks for your kind feedback after the first day! This feels like a much different type of blogging than I'm used to. I'm glad to see that it's receiving a warm reception, because it feels so foreign and strange to me, but also fun and freeing!

A week in the life : Monday

So, I totally got the idea to do a week in the life thing here from Kyrie. I know it really comes from Ali Edwards, it's something of a scrapbooking "prompt", and there is a specific week for it each year, but I'm just doing my own thing. I wanted to post this last night, but honestly, by the end of a long day (I got home at almost 11pm), I was just too tired. And then our mornings are so busy. So here goes!

Yesterday, we

-played horsies under the kitchen table before breakfast.

-had potatoes and migas for breakfast. I talked to Sarah on the phone while making it.

-washed dishes more times than I care to recount.

-barely made a dent in the laundry.

-went to James's swimming lesson. Fiona dangled her feet in the baby pool while he had his lesson. At the very end of the lesson, his class went into the baby pool to play "What time is it, Mr. Shark?"

-admired our swim team's trophies while at the pool (first in our league and second in state!).

-went to the grocery store, where Elisabeth walked and read the whole time.

- played outside in an early afternoon thunderstorm -- ten minutes of downpour followed by a long afternoon of stifling humidity.

-James made a pictorial list of the things he needed to get done (bring the groceries in the house, take out the recycling, get dressed).

-lanolized diaper covers and had a lunch of salad and fruit.

-had an afternoon gymnastics performance.

-I spent the afternoon teaching cello lessons, while my husband (who was home early because he'd had an orientation day) took the kids to Costco for some staples.

-portioned out some of the staples and made a quick and simple supper

-I went out for dinner and drinks with some friends.

In doing this, I wanted to remember to take pictures that were not just "bloggable", but told a story of our day. As I look through the batch, some of which are not the usual "type" of photo I'd share here, I am bemoaning the poor light in our house (this is already generally a problem, but especially on overcast, hazy days like we've been having here lately), and wishing we had a prettier living room. Oh, well, all in good time.

I'm also reminded what a fantastic and lovely little family I have here, and how good it is to have good friends.

5 weeks later...

Friends, I have wanted to sit down and write a post. I have tried, even. But I just haven't had the time or motivation to really be here, and I'm so sorry. I'm afraid there is just about no one left who reads this little neglected blog of mine, but I still want to be here. 

So first, thank you for all your fantastic book recommendations! I'm so appreciative!

And next, today was the final swim practice of the summer. It doesn't seem possible -- this weekend is the state swim meet, and the season really has ended. I feel like it just began. Elisabeth swam two hours a day (morning and evening practice -- her choice!) all summer. In addition to James's swimming lessons (and he still has 3 full weeks left of those), we have hardly had a moment this summer that wasn't lived at a pool. (Which is both fine by me, and also means not a lot of variety.)

It has been dreadfully hot, though the heat has been punctuated by afternoon thunderstorms -- some of which have been fantastic! And lots more has happened, too. There are probably things I want to share here when I have the chance to look through my photos.

But really, most importantly, my husband has a new job. At the end of June, we were at a baseball game with friends (by the way, if you have one of these summer collegiate baseball leagues near you and you enjoy baseball, it's definitely worth checking out! The games were free but were on a near-professional level. Very fun!), and while we were there, the principal of a high school in an older suburban neighborhood about 30 minutes from where we live called him out of the blue. He had not even seen the job posting yet. She gave him a 30-minute phone interview on the spot, and the next day he went to interview in person. Within 72 hours of the initial phone call, he had been offered the job. It's hard to describe the combination of disbelief and relief that we felt. Within a week of being offered the job, he was preparing for the school's 4-week-long marching band camp which began on July 5. It was 3 hours a day, 5 days a week for all of July. He says he thinks it was a bit much and the kids are feeling a bit burnt out, so he might do it a bit differently next summer, but this was the schedule that was already in place.

Yesterday and today he was at new-employee orientation. On Monday he starts a week of in-school professional development and teacher planning days, and on August 8, classes begin. This school district is on a pretty different schedule than other districts in our area, so he is back to work weeks sooner than he would have been at his old job. The transition to him going back to work in August is always a hard one for me, and this year it's even earlier, so I'm feeling a bit disoriented right now. I know from experience that things will ease up and we'll find our way into a new routine. Still, I don't do well with transitions, and we have a lot of them with his work.

At any rate, I wish to thank all of you who have thought about us, prayed for us, and sent us all your good thoughts and blessings as we have struggled with job stuff over the last 4 years. We are hopeful that things have finally turned a corner for him professionally. Though his new job represents more time and more responsibilities, I think we are ready now to deal with those in a way we might not have been before. So, it's exactly the right time.

Anyway, that's just a bit of where I am right now. I have been inspired by Kyrie's "Week in the Life" posts this week, so I thought maybe next week I'd try something along those lines, though it could be more of a "Rough Week in the Life" since we are very much finding our way right now.

Summer reading

So, it's been ages since I really cleared out and updated the "Reading" list on the right-hand side of this blog. This is mostly because we haven't read anything new in a super long time. We seem to be just cycling through the same kids' books over and over lately. It's great for Fiona, who is getting to enjoy many books for the first time. But it's getting old for everyone else.

Elisabeth has been reading like a fiend, having devoured almost half this stack in the last few days. So these aren't going to last long at that rate.

We really need some summer reading recommendations! For the full age-range of our entire clan. 

Great picture books.

Fantastic chapter books for the 9-year-old set.

The best of what's out there for mamas.

PLEASE jump in with some suggestions in the comments! We are in desperate need! (Don't be shy. Even if you think we've already read what you have to suggest, you never know. Favorites of your family today, favorites of your own as a child ... please!!!)

Midsummer

Happy first "official" day of summer! (Though for me, summer really begins with pool season.)

Today I have one sick child who needs tending, some thoughts turned toward our annual Midsummer Night fairy tea party, and work that needs getting done. But there is always a moment or two to spare outside, taking in the utter amazingness of summer. 

My peonies bloomed later than usual this year, and they have been absolutely beautiful -- I'm always taken by surprise by their beauty and fragrance. I'm so happy to see them!

Treasures from the past

Today I was at my mom's and I (temporarily) snagged some photos from her childhood that she was recently given by a relative. The dresses she wore as a little girl in the late 1950's and early 1960's (she was born in 1956) were amazing. 

This is my mom and her parents (foreground, in the background is an uncle of hers) on her second or third birthday, in 1958 or 1959. I love seeing my grandparents with dark hair here. Beautiful. I have another photo of this sundress, from a May Co. portrait. I love it!

I'm guessing she was about one or two here. (No date on back.) She reminds me of Fiona (and also my middle sister) so much here! I love, love this dress, too. Look at the wide white band around the hem!

This is my favorite of the bunch. That full skirt! The little coat! Her hair! Gorgeous! This is 1960 or 1961.

Incredible smocking! 1963.

I have more photos, but my scanner is old and not working very well. Hopefully I can get more of these up, though. I can't believe what treasures they are.

We also brought home about 10 of her Nancy Drew books from the 1960's. I read them when I was a girl, too, and now Elisabeth is devouring the first one. I love Nancy Drew because they're exciting and feel "grown up" to read, but are still fairly "innocent" -- Nancy has a "boyfriend" but nothing happens between them, etc. 

Altogether, an exciting day for treasures!

At the pool

One of my favorite things about summertime is all the swimming. I was on swim team myself through my childhood and teens, and it's been one of my favorite things as a parent to do with my kids. We've been doing 5-day-a-week swimming lessons all summer long since Elisabeth was three. Last year was her first year on a swim team, and she loves it. We have thought about doing a year-round team (that's what I did as a girl), but I'll be honest that the logistics of it, with my kids being relatively far apart in age, is a bit daunting to me still. Maybe in the fall; we'll see. 

For now, we are enjoying our three hours a day (at two different pools!) of swim team and swimming lessons. Time spent at the pool is worth every moment, to my way of thinking. I'd rather be there than just about anywhere else in the world right now. (Except the ocean, but that will have to wait until we can afford to travel again ... it's the one thing I don't like about where I live.)

These days of summer are so priceless.