Oh, there I am.
4 days ago
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Snow Day!!
This morning, James waited at the bus stop for a good 15 minutes before it occurred to us to check for school cancellations.
We knew a storm was headed our way, but figured they'd send the kids home early from school, having forgotten what an administrative nightmare that is. But a full snow day was declared, even though this is what it looked like all morning (note that the only snow in this picture is a two-day-old dusting):
By mid-afternoon, however, the scene had changed, although the chorus of "SNOW DAY!!" sounded exactly the same:
Hooray for some spontaneous family time! For me that included bringing the kids to my chiropractor appointment (I'm down to just tape, instead of the air-cast...woo hoo!), and then to the Mac's drive-thru for breakfast, group house-cleaning, a start on the holiday decorating, and watching an old movie.
For Alan, that meant snow removal while supervising outdoor play.
The not-so-fun parts included me having a horrible cold and Alan having to work a large portion of the day. Yay...snow day...?
Now I'm off to bed on the couch, armed with tissues, mentholatum and nyquil. uhg.
We knew a storm was headed our way, but figured they'd send the kids home early from school, having forgotten what an administrative nightmare that is. But a full snow day was declared, even though this is what it looked like all morning (note that the only snow in this picture is a two-day-old dusting):
By mid-afternoon, however, the scene had changed, although the chorus of "SNOW DAY!!" sounded exactly the same:
Hooray for some spontaneous family time! For me that included bringing the kids to my chiropractor appointment (I'm down to just tape, instead of the air-cast...woo hoo!), and then to the Mac's drive-thru for breakfast, group house-cleaning, a start on the holiday decorating, and watching an old movie.
For Alan, that meant snow removal while supervising outdoor play.
The not-so-fun parts included me having a horrible cold and Alan having to work a large portion of the day. Yay...snow day...?
Now I'm off to bed on the couch, armed with tissues, mentholatum and nyquil. uhg.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Creche: December 1
For this calendar, "Christmas" means Christmas Eve, when the baby Jesus makes his debut, so we do the first two pages on December 1st.
24 Days To Christmas WHY WE CELEBRATE ADVENT:
(click on the picture to read the text--sorry, this one's a little blurry)
24 Days To Christmas WHY WE CELEBRATE ADVENT:
(click on the picture to read the text--sorry, this one's a little blurry)
23 Days To Christmas THE ANGEL:
Here's Jeremy placing the Angel on the sand:
The Creche--Introduction
Our creche is not fancy or expensive or even particularly beautiful. It is made of paper but saturated with meaning and tradition more personal than the deeper meaning of Christmas.
When I was very small, a dear family friend with a talent for finding the most perfect gifts (particularly books) sent us a special advent calendar. For each day there is a little story about a particular "character" present at the manger, and then a printed page for you to cut out and assemble that character. I was too little to remember the assembly (which I now know was surely done primarily by Mom and Dad) but Helen's participation is evidenced by her early handwriting in the margins of the original book. The bodies of the people are cone-shaped with little flat heads and arms sticking out. Brightly-colored paper and not much more.
Who would have thought such a thing could last for nearly 40 years?
Then, again: nothing gets thrown away at the Soule residence, so... each year the little paper figures were carefully packed into a recycled Harry & David's pear box covered with deep purple christmas wrap (perfect for advent!) and tucked away until the following December when we would take them out one by one...or maybe 3 one night to catch up...and read the stories and arrange them on the little table in the living room. Over the years a few additional figures--a small clay pig, for example--found their way to the manger and took up seasonal residence in the pear box. When we grew up and weren't home for all of advent, Mom began laying out all the figures at once, except baby Jesus who appropriately awaits Christmas eve under Mary's conical skirts!
At some point, I think Mom was actually beginning to worry about how to pass along this one treasure to her two daughters. We even searched for a replacement copy of the book, but alas, "A Christmas Crib Book" translated from the German "Der Web zur Krippe" by W. K Holmes and printed in Western-Germany in 1960 is not easily come by.
And then one September I was at Orono Festival Day perusing a table of used books and there it was! I grabbed Alan's arm in shock and snatched up the familiar spiral bound packet. It had a sticky note on that read $2.00. "I'll give you five!" I declared, shoving the bill to the attendant, barely containing tears of joy, and murmering things like, "This is it! This is our creche! It's all here!". And it was. Not only had I found this Holy Grail of Advent, but it was pristine, untouched. I was so pleased that someone had owned this and had not appreciated it at all!
When I was very small, a dear family friend with a talent for finding the most perfect gifts (particularly books) sent us a special advent calendar. For each day there is a little story about a particular "character" present at the manger, and then a printed page for you to cut out and assemble that character. I was too little to remember the assembly (which I now know was surely done primarily by Mom and Dad) but Helen's participation is evidenced by her early handwriting in the margins of the original book. The bodies of the people are cone-shaped with little flat heads and arms sticking out. Brightly-colored paper and not much more.
Who would have thought such a thing could last for nearly 40 years?
Then, again: nothing gets thrown away at the Soule residence, so... each year the little paper figures were carefully packed into a recycled Harry & David's pear box covered with deep purple christmas wrap (perfect for advent!) and tucked away until the following December when we would take them out one by one...or maybe 3 one night to catch up...and read the stories and arrange them on the little table in the living room. Over the years a few additional figures--a small clay pig, for example--found their way to the manger and took up seasonal residence in the pear box. When we grew up and weren't home for all of advent, Mom began laying out all the figures at once, except baby Jesus who appropriately awaits Christmas eve under Mary's conical skirts!
At some point, I think Mom was actually beginning to worry about how to pass along this one treasure to her two daughters. We even searched for a replacement copy of the book, but alas, "A Christmas Crib Book" translated from the German "Der Web zur Krippe" by W. K Holmes and printed in Western-Germany in 1960 is not easily come by.
And then one September I was at Orono Festival Day perusing a table of used books and there it was! I grabbed Alan's arm in shock and snatched up the familiar spiral bound packet. It had a sticky note on that read $2.00. "I'll give you five!" I declared, shoving the bill to the attendant, barely containing tears of joy, and murmering things like, "This is it! This is our creche! It's all here!". And it was. Not only had I found this Holy Grail of Advent, but it was pristine, untouched. I was so pleased that someone had owned this and had not appreciated it at all!
[It has been pointed out to me that Alan, in fact, found the Holy Grail at the book sale...my bad! The rest of the account is accurate!]
I couldn't bear to cut it though, so some time later, I scanned in the craft pages. That first year we attempted to make three full sets and it was way too much trouble and several figures suffered traumatic paper injuries, so I later salvaged the best ones and now keep oen family set in our own special box. I've discovered that a tray of brown rice makes the perfect platform: it helps keep the light-weight figures grounded and even looks like sand.
I gave the scanned in version to my sister, who is finally ready to share the family tradition with little Samantha and have it saved on the computer for future generations and/or replacements.
This year, 1960s Germany meets 2009 technology: the blog.
Follow us on our hi-tech/low-tech advent journey.
I couldn't bear to cut it though, so some time later, I scanned in the craft pages. That first year we attempted to make three full sets and it was way too much trouble and several figures suffered traumatic paper injuries, so I later salvaged the best ones and now keep oen family set in our own special box. I've discovered that a tray of brown rice makes the perfect platform: it helps keep the light-weight figures grounded and even looks like sand.
I gave the scanned in version to my sister, who is finally ready to share the family tradition with little Samantha and have it saved on the computer for future generations and/or replacements.
This year, 1960s Germany meets 2009 technology: the blog.
Follow us on our hi-tech/low-tech advent journey.
Giving Thanks
Thanksgiving was as busy as ever at the Marks house cumulating in a feast for 18:
I didn't participate in the Turkey Trek, but Mum & Dad and I got up early to deliver our canned goods and see the trekkers off:
The rest of the day was filled with friends, family, food and only one minor car accident in our driveway.
I tortured my guests with the killer Talking Turkey vocabulary quiz AND (new this year) a trivia quiz (fill in the blank for the adults and multiple choice for the kids). We were too disorganized to actually figure out who got the most right. The best score I heard on the vocab was 10 out of 26, though (I told you it was killer).
My favorite baking project was my apple-berry pie with a leafy pie-crust design over apples, raspberries and blackberries:
My favorite art project was our copper wire Thanksgiving Trees and pressed-penny leaves. Guests were asked to hang leaves on the trees to represent the things for which they are most thankful. They made beautiful, meaningful center pieces and were 100% recycled!
We spent the next couple days relaxing and recovering with our house guests, Nancy's college roommate (who came home with her for T-day freshman year at Mt. Holyoke and hasn't stopped since), husband "Technology Man", and their adorable children:
I am thankful for a home and a heart filled with friends and family, love and laughter.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Summing Up
We recently enjoyed a lively and in-depth conversation over the family dinner table with the following conclusion:
Regarding drugs, "Just Say No!"
Regarding exercise, "Just Do It!"
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Finding Motivation....and Losing Mobility
This is me writing about how I voraciously devoured every one of Emilie's inspiring blog posts about her amazing athletic antics and watched contestants shed pound after pound on episode after episode of The Biggest Loser and thought "wow" a lot but didn't actually DO anything myself. I did manage to not sit there shoveling Ben & Jerry's into my mouth, but mostly I sat there awe-inspired but not actually inspired. I kept waiting for it. This has GOT to get me motivated, I'd say, just watch! But no lightning bolts fell from the sky. No light bulb lit up over my head. My legs did not suddenly leap up of their own volition as if posessed by those famous red shoes. I continued on in my rut.
And then Emilie sent me a facebook invite to her event "Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trek" and I thought "I can walk 4 miles. Easy." and then I thought "Maybe I could run 4 miles if I actually did a training plan and built up to it.... I could at least run some of the 4 miles." And that very day I looked up the Hal Higdon 30/30 and I went to the gym and I ran the equivalent of a half mile out of the two miles I covered going around the track. And I didn't die. And I felt strong and proud. And Motivated with capital M.
And then Madeline's dance teacher talked us into doing Zumba on Saturday mornings--which is really fun and up-beat and tiring and fun!--and I was really on my way!
And then I screwed up my right ankle, mostly because my left knee is twitchy and I've babied it so much that my thigh muscle is pathetically atrophied and I drop all my weight on the opposite foot whenever I go down stairs. So I'm limping and hurting and starting to doubt my chiropractor's optimism and trying to do housework and prep for Thanksgiving.
Since I can't DO much right now (and WANT to), I'm reflecting on why it took so long for me to get there, mentally. I recently saw my OB-GYN after a little too long between visits. After being welcomed back, literally with open arms and demands for recent pix of the kids, she summed it up as "You just realized you're 40." I had the fancy party (almost a year ago now!), I know how old I am, I came to grips with that intellectually at the time. But it's only now that it is really sinking in as a permanent truth. Last year at this time I was bemoaning not having done something amazing prior to turning 40. Now I'm about to no longer be "just" 40 and I still feel that way. I've realized now that soon I will be "forty-something" and I'm going to be that for a while, so I'd better face it and take control of my body while I still can.
So, here I am, with my swollen ankle, bound and determined to still do the Turkey Trek (walking only, alas) and looking forward to getting on with learning to run.
And then Emilie sent me a facebook invite to her event "Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trek" and I thought "I can walk 4 miles. Easy." and then I thought "Maybe I could run 4 miles if I actually did a training plan and built up to it.... I could at least run some of the 4 miles." And that very day I looked up the Hal Higdon 30/30 and I went to the gym and I ran the equivalent of a half mile out of the two miles I covered going around the track. And I didn't die. And I felt strong and proud. And Motivated with capital M.
And then Madeline's dance teacher talked us into doing Zumba on Saturday mornings--which is really fun and up-beat and tiring and fun!--and I was really on my way!
And then I screwed up my right ankle, mostly because my left knee is twitchy and I've babied it so much that my thigh muscle is pathetically atrophied and I drop all my weight on the opposite foot whenever I go down stairs. So I'm limping and hurting and starting to doubt my chiropractor's optimism and trying to do housework and prep for Thanksgiving.
Since I can't DO much right now (and WANT to), I'm reflecting on why it took so long for me to get there, mentally. I recently saw my OB-GYN after a little too long between visits. After being welcomed back, literally with open arms and demands for recent pix of the kids, she summed it up as "You just realized you're 40." I had the fancy party (almost a year ago now!), I know how old I am, I came to grips with that intellectually at the time. But it's only now that it is really sinking in as a permanent truth. Last year at this time I was bemoaning not having done something amazing prior to turning 40. Now I'm about to no longer be "just" 40 and I still feel that way. I've realized now that soon I will be "forty-something" and I'm going to be that for a while, so I'd better face it and take control of my body while I still can.
So, here I am, with my swollen ankle, bound and determined to still do the Turkey Trek (walking only, alas) and looking forward to getting on with learning to run.
CHEESE. APPETIZERS.
If you know me AT ALL, then you know that those are two of my most favorite food words. Put them together and you've got the largest section of my personal cook book, not to mention an easy Jeopardy clue.
Contestant: I'll take Nancy's Culinary Habits for 500, Alex.
Alex Trebek: Nancy will most likely be baking this when company arrives at her home.
Contestant: What are Cheese Straws?
Alex: That's correct!...
And I've discovered a new one. Believe it or not, I found this recipe on the Sam's Club website [insert a Scooby Doo "huh?!?" here] over a year ago, but never tried it 'til last weekend. The best part is ZERO PREP. We're talking five minutes from fridge to face, folks!!
Parmesan Wafers
--Put little piles (1 to 2 tsp) of shredded (not grated) parmesan cheese on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
--Add a snip of fresh herbs like basil or tarragon to each, or a sprinkling of dried ones.
--Bake at 350 for 3-4 minutes until melted and golden.
--Eat. Smile.
We experimented a little and made some with cheddar cheese (very greasy and oddly bland), and some that were mixed parmesan and cheddar (Alan's fave--pictured on the right side of the plate). They were so good the first time I forgot to take pictures so...(shucks, darn)...we had to make more for the photo op!
Contestant: I'll take Nancy's Culinary Habits for 500, Alex.
Alex Trebek: Nancy will most likely be baking this when company arrives at her home.
Contestant: What are Cheese Straws?
Alex: That's correct!...
And I've discovered a new one. Believe it or not, I found this recipe on the Sam's Club website [insert a Scooby Doo "huh?!?" here] over a year ago, but never tried it 'til last weekend. The best part is ZERO PREP. We're talking five minutes from fridge to face, folks!!
Parmesan Wafers
--Put little piles (1 to 2 tsp) of shredded (not grated) parmesan cheese on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
--Add a snip of fresh herbs like basil or tarragon to each, or a sprinkling of dried ones.
--Bake at 350 for 3-4 minutes until melted and golden.
--Eat. Smile.
We experimented a little and made some with cheddar cheese (very greasy and oddly bland), and some that were mixed parmesan and cheddar (Alan's fave--pictured on the right side of the plate). They were so good the first time I forgot to take pictures so...(shucks, darn)...we had to make more for the photo op!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Halloween Antics
James aka THE EMPEROR OF EVIL:
Jeremy aka THE ROBOT won first prize at the Rec Center costume contest!
This costume also won a prize at the mall 6 years ago when Jamie debuted it.
Flashing lights inside the vents completed the night-time look.
Madeline aka THE ZEBRA
This kind of creeped out people who know us because Madeline looked so...well... not like Madeline! She had zebra pants, too, and a tail of course.
Jeremy aka THE ROBOT won first prize at the Rec Center costume contest!
This costume also won a prize at the mall 6 years ago when Jamie debuted it.
Flashing lights inside the vents completed the night-time look.
Madeline aka THE ZEBRA
This kind of creeped out people who know us because Madeline looked so...well... not like Madeline! She had zebra pants, too, and a tail of course.
Friday, October 30, 2009
A Very Quiet Little Announcement
I don't want to say this too loudly in case my knees hear me and decide to spontaneously explode, but...
I did Hal Higdon's 30/30 plan two days in a row.
If you're reading this and you know what that means, you're probably named Emilie and you deserve my thanks for finally getting me moving.
If you're not Emilie, check out her blog. I can pretty much guarantee you'll be inspired.
http://www.manhartfamily.blogspot.com/
PS: Em, do you wear the Tiffany necklace to the gym? 'cause I think I would!!
I did Hal Higdon's 30/30 plan two days in a row.
If you're reading this and you know what that means, you're probably named Emilie and you deserve my thanks for finally getting me moving.
If you're not Emilie, check out her blog. I can pretty much guarantee you'll be inspired.
http://www.manhartfamily.blogspot.com/
PS: Em, do you wear the Tiffany necklace to the gym? 'cause I think I would!!
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