little hands

Little hands digging and little hands making music.

Best Shot Monday

Here is my best shot during a whirlwind weekend of Jr. High duct tape dances,
History Day contests, soccer stars and neighborhood kickball matches.

5 things in a *perfect* day

I just read a blog post at my topography, challenging us to think about what we would do in a "perfect" month if we could choose anything. Then, pick 5 things you would do every day in that time. Hmmmmmmm. After I drank a good, steaming cup of coffee out of my favorite mug, I would.





1. wake up to snuggles and love from my three beautiful children
2. create something beautiful
3. practice yoga
4. read something engaging
5. sing

we LOVE thunderstorms!

Good Granola

This is my favorite granola of late. Easy and very yummy as Rowan can attest to.
Good Granola
preheat oven to 300 degrees

dry ingredients-

4 C rolled oats
1/8 C wheat bran
Any combination of nuts to equal 1 1/2 C, I use sesame seeds, slivered almonds and pumpkin seeds it's ok to use less nuts and add more of the oats and bran if you like it less nutty.
3/4 C flaked coconut (optional)

wet ingredients-

1/3 C oil canola or safflower oil or other similar type of mild tasting oil
3T brown sugar
1T molasses
2T water

Mix dry ingredients together in a large bowl, set aside. Whisk together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl then pour over dry. Stir with a wooden spoon or hands to coat thoroughly, (kids love to mix stuff with their hands) Spread on a large cookie sheet brushed with oil or use a silpat liner and bake for 40 minutes until golden. Stir every 15 minutes throughout baking time. Viola! Yummy with milk, yogurt, or as a topping for ice cream too!

fun with my camera on a Saturday in April

little shoots

here are the first new pea shoots sprouting up out of the brown earth. We spent much time in the yard picking up. Pete cleaned the pond and he and the boys went and bought new goldfish. So much promise and hope with all of the blooming bulbs and budding trees, it just makes you smile!

my garden

Oh my, after a long winter I crept out into the garden. Here is what I witnessed; piles all around, piles of wood , piles of leaves and piles of Lucy presents. It needs a major overhaul which starts me feeling anxious and defeated before I even begin. I have a good sized space with many plantings, many of which need a makeover, but since we are planning an addition some of that is on hold until that is complete. Oh yeah, along side those piles, I saw daffodils, tulips and violets blooming, buds on the redbud tree and the viburnum and peony shoots that have seemingly grown a foot overnight! Why is it that my eye is inevitably drawn to the imperfections instead of the beauty? I focus on these shortcomings in my yard and home and especially in myself. Why am I conditioned to see the best in others but I don't give myself or my own family even a tiny break? I am often paralyzed by the tasks before me, feeling I may not do it right or I don't have enough time to finish. What if I give myself permission to be a work in progress along with everybody else? What if I give myself permission to be good enough? What if I say "could" instead of "should" all of the time? "I could clean up a corner of the yard." instead of "I should have this place cleaned up!" It opens up the possibilities rather than reprimanding me with the "should haves" I believe the words we choose in our inner dialog affect how we feel about ourselves and others.I want to see beauty in the imperfect world and imagine what can be, not what should have been.

haircut # 2

Better but maybe even shorter next time.

haircut #1

Eddie Van Halen or Keith Partridge?

A few things

This weekend we had a birthday party for Papa, went to the Bodies Revealed exhibit at Union Station, and went to the final Jayhawk Parade.

camera happy

Here are a couple of pictures I took on a walk the other day. I am sick as a dog so that's all for now.

Champions!

Congratulations 2008 Kansas Jayhawks! Thanks for the fun, we've enjoyed every minute of it.

assertive/aggresive/flexible/indulgent

Teaching our children, especially our girls to stand up for themselves can be tricky business. I see that it can be tough for Sophie to distinguish subtle differences between being assertive and say, argumentative or between me being flexible and understanding but not overindulgent. I tend to err on the side of permissiveness and then have to pull hard on the reins to regain my footing as a parent. I want her to have freedom and choices but I want to reinforce those choices with some accountability at home. She so much wants to be let loose in the world when some days all I want to do is shut the door and snuggle under the blankets as we did when she was small. I want to protect her from the pain of adolescence while letting her create her own boundaries, which means allowing the hurt and being there to pick up the pieces and being empathetic but not overly empathetic. It is such a strange balancing act of supporting but not propping them up. I think I am at least doing some of it right as she still talks to me openly about so many things and still gives me lots of love along with the eye rolling exasperation as well. I'm always learning patience from this tough/beautiful/strong/intelligent girl.

Macro

Here are a few close up experiments with some of our first daffodils, I think I need to shoot more think less!