Fifty-five degrees in my neck of the woods today.  I know it may not seem like much to my friends in warm climates, but for New England, it’s the makings of a lovely January thaw.  Yesterday our lawn still had a covering of snow.  Today it is gone, all except the edges and deeper piles. 

Seth wanted to go outside, and let me assure you, it was not my idea that he go straight to the muddy driveway and start playing around in ooey gooey mud.

No, but he’s so smart, he thought of it all on his own.

I understand him, though, and I don’t mind, because I also love good, clean, mud…the smell, the usefulness (to make pies)….however, I don’t play in it any longer.

****warning**** some of these dirty pictures may be offensive to some viewers****

After I got mud splattered on my self, my hair, and my camera, I wandered away….

….and discovered daffodils and crocus coming up.  (I really can’t believe it)

Seth and I ate our lunch out on the porch.  (oh, joy!)  It really does feel like spring.

Little Sarah had gotten up this morning so very grumpy that she was put back to bed at 9, so it was a nice time this morning for Seth and I to be together, just the two of us.

We came back inside after lunch and when Sarah came downstairs after her nap, I noticed she had put on some happy shoes.

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I am filled with anticipation today because my friend Hannah is travelling here from Alaska.  She will arrive tomorrow morning at 11 and I will be picking her up from the airport.  She’s staying for a week.  I met Hannah here in blogland years ago, and we’ve been penpals ever since.

Blogging has added so much joy to my life.

Have a happy (muddy?) Monday! 

This post is dedicated to my husband, Rich, who has happily allowed me to fill our house with books.

Book love.  My earliest memories involve books.  First, my mother and father read to me.  Then, when I could read by myself, I began with Laura’s Little House books.  They will always hold a very special place in my heart because I started my reading adventures with them.   All through my growing up years, I was reading books, most of which came from the library.  However, I also had my own personal collection of beloved books; every single LM Montgomery book I could get my hands on, for instance.  I kept my favorite books in a row on the headboard of my bed, which had a shelf on top.  I was very protective of my books and remember being horrified when a friend returned one of them to me with the binding bent all the way through and the cover aged almost beyond recognition.  I am still sad about my copy of Anne’s House of Dreams, because I myself dropped it in a bowl of chicken noodle soup.  I taped the corners of my new books as soon as I bought them, to try to keep them from getting dog-eared and ripped.  I carefully wrote my name and date inside each cover and read these books over and over again.

There was a period of time in my twenties when I didn’t read very much at all.  Let me clarify.  I did read, and I read every day, but the books I read were now written by authors like Dr. Seuss, Beatrix Potter, & Mercer Mayer, and were about 20 pages long, tops.  I read these books out loud with small children in my lap.

Ah yes, I was very busy with life and having/raising babies, that I simply had no time to read much.

When life became more manageable, (and I am now in my thirties), I slowly came back to my books and discovered I still had an insatiable appetite for reading.  I realized anew that this was part of what made life good, in my opinion.  A big, delicious book and time to read it.

In the winter, my favorite time to read is at the end of the day, in my bed.  I also read quite a bit in the car when Rich is driving, or during Seth & Sarah’s nap time.

In the summer, I like to read outside in the sunshine while wearing sunglasses, as the children play.

This Saturday, Rich and I took Jacob and Ethan to their friend’s house, and because they live very near my favorite antique store, I asked him if we could visit it.

I had no strong desires to purchase anything, I just love to browse a good antique place (and this one is big and full of neat things to see).  What I was truly keeping my eyes open for was an old wire egg basket for my kitchen. 

But, while looking for kitchen things,  

I found a booth that apparently belonged to kindred spirits of the bookish sort!

Although not techinally antiques, I found several Tasha Tudor books, my friends.  Be still my heart, vintage (1970’s) editions, with hard covers.

This Tasha illustrated copy of The Wind in the Willows was 25 dollars and out of my price-range.

However, I held it, looked into it, and swooned.

“O terrible bad, sir, terrible deep the snow is.”

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This is what I took home on an afternoon in which I had no intention to buy (of all things) books, but the book fairy led me to them and placed them into my life!

The maroon one is an old and quaint animal-stories book.  The whole stack belongs to me, but is to read out loud to the family.

You see, I still have small children to sit in my lap, and I do still love a good 20 pager now and then. 

Snowflake Bentley is a newish book, a true story about a man who was obsessed with photographing snowflakes and kept trying until he succeeded.  Made me cry. 

In the same booth, I found SNAKE BOOKS!  Remember, my seven year old, Caleb, wants to know and see anything about snakes.  We purchased him this one:

Snakes from the World, with illustrations from life, 1944

The text will be challenging for him, but the photos are great and he loves the book.  He took it to school this morning.

I am currently in the midst of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.  I purchased this one online and it came in the mail on Saturday (the book fairy was good to me that day) What a substantial, wonderfully-written novel it is.  I read it a long time ago and thought it was high time to read it again.  This one is translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, and in my opinion is much more readable than the last translation I used.  There is a lot to be said for old classic literature compared to some of the lighter fiction.  It’s like comparing a steak to a cookie.  My goal for this year is to eat more steak and less cookies.

(The old snapshots are something else I picked up from the antique store.  I plan on putting them into a journal.)

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book! — When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.”   Jane Austen

If you enjoyed this post, please feel at liberty to send me a Barnes and Noble gift certificate.

joining soulemama for another {this moment} post

A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Do you have it, too?  An extra compulsion to clean and organize your house?  It happens to me every January.

I had SUCH a productive morning.  I cleaned and organized several of my kitchen cuboards, including my baking supplies.  I had a crate of new quart-sized mason jars and used them to organize my goods; coconut, cocoa powder, kosher salt, thick-cut oats, farro, chocolate chips, etc.  Everything is in jars now, neatly labeled.  In order to clear some space, I also took things downstairs to storage that I don’t use often (like my huge waffle maker and deep fat fryer).

I took down the ornaments from the Christmas tree, with help from Seth and Sarah (they loved helping).  I packed everything away as neatly as I could, and labeled every box on the top and the side.  All the Christmas stuff is on the very top shelf of my downstairs pantry shelves.  I plan on making an announcement to the children, warning them not to touch the Christmas things until next December.  (David and Caleb love to rummage).

I also cleaned the kitchen and vacuumed the livingroom.

After I was done, and we had eaten lunch, and right before I was about to put the littles down for their naps the school nurse called me.  (“what now”, I thought) She said that Ethan had hurt his ankle in gym class, it was swelling up, and he needed to be picked up.  It was 19 degrees outside, so I ran out to start my vehicle before getting Seth and Sarah all bundled into coats, shoes, and hats.  When I pulled up to the school, the nurse wheeled Ethan out in a wheelchair!  What a sight.  Ethan is a very cheerful personality and, even though he can’t believe he hurt himself, he is very accepting of his new, temporary lame-ness. 

I got him set up on the couch, it was naptime, and quiet in the house, so the two of us decided to watch a movie.  And what a movie it was, perfect to watch with teenage boys.  We highly recommend it.

OCTOBER SKY  “A beautifully engrossing true story about a boy who puts his thinking, creative mind above the herd — with inspiring results. Well written and acted, an excellent example of how the determined individual can rise above fear and conformity. A young high school senior, faced with a dreary future as a coal miner in West Virginia, works furiously to build a rocket in the wake of the Russian Sputnik launch of the late 1950’s.”  ~Dr. Hurd (from his recommended movie list)

And guess what?  It’s a book, too!  (now on our reading list)

 Happy Thursday!

I was surprised by how very cold it was.  Grace and I wanted to go for a walk in the freshly fallen snow on Sunday.  I had to send her back to the house to get more clothes on.  It was the wind that chilled us to the bone.

We had avoided the woods for over a month (during hunting season) because our woods are visited frequently by lots of hunters.  I had missed the woods, and it was satisfying to be out in them, again. 

There is nothing like leaning against a tree, solid and sure.  In fact, I sometimes hug them.

On this blustery day, the tops were swaying back and forth.  Trees do bend, more than I would think they could.  The wind was strong enough to make me wonder if I would get hit by fallen branches……

…..but the risk was well worth it, as the beauty of snow blowing through the air was deep-down lovely and good for the soul.

We came out into the open field.

And visited the half-frozen stream.

Snow was blown through my hair, which whipped and snapped around my face.  (I did so wish for a hat!)  The sun had NO warmth whatsoever.

There was so much beauty, my heart ached and I said, “Oh Grace, will YOU go for walks like this with your children when you’re grown?”

The words were just barely from my lips when she was saying “NO” quite emphatically.  “I will NOT take my children for walks in the winter.  In the summer, in the spring, in the fall, YES, but NOT the winter.  They will have to go for walks on their own.”

At home, we met up with Caleb, who was having fun in snow piles.

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I was weepy this morning.  Although all is well, I missed very much all the children and my husband.  Rich went back to work today and the children all left for school.  The house was missing them.  I was missing them.  I love to focus on Seth and Sarah, so I spent a little time re-evaluating our mornings and reminding myself of what we love to do; sing, dance, read books, clean, bath-times, and nature.

So I bundled them up after lunch for some fresh air.  I pulled them around in the yellow plastic sled.  I let Seth go sledding (he loved it), and we also played on the edge of the frozen pond.  Sarah was timid and needed encouragement to step onto the ice.  But Seth was ready for anything, and was soon slipping, sliding, spinning, and falling.

Bright, happy face.

Shadows

Sarah only fell once, very gently, onto her bottom.

It was enough to completely ruin her fun.  It was time for naps.

I asked Seth if he wanted hot chocolate and he said, NO, he wanted it warm.

Let me show you what I worked on last night at the table:

Paper stars!  I’m taping them on the windows and they are so pretty.

( PS.  I had a few friends ask about how to make the stars.  I bought a kit on sale at Barnes and Noble.

You use origami paper (cut it in fourths or eighths), fold, and glue.  You could probably find directions online, too. )