Peach Coglo

Weekending~May 20, 2012

Joining sweet Amanda for weekending . . . .

This weekend beautiful and fun and eye-opening.  That is a lot for one weekend.

My dancing girl danced in her fifth recital.  I cannot believe she has been dancing for five years.   She really loves it.  I hear parents say this a lot.  I have heard kids say they love something.  It's hard for me to remember being 7 and loving something so much.  It looks like I have two seven year-olds who have their passions. 

Our weekend was full of clay, wood and dance.

Elijah made his first clay figure that I think is pretty awesome (I am his mama so I know I am super biased).  He took it to school before I could snap a shot for this post.  Elijah has been obsessing over clay for months now.  He loves making stuff with his hands and has asked for a Leatherman for his birthday.  This weekend he chisled a canoe.  I need a shot of that too; Elijah tends to make off with his creations, so I'll grab him when he returns from school today.

Helena danced her ballet this weekend and declared she wants to be a professional dancer-"definitely ballet, but if not ballet then other kinds of dance.  I just want to dance all of the time."  She had a wonderful time at her recital and her brothers rallied around her (Eden was asleep which was probably for the best).

Somebody enjoys posing.  I call this her Lena Horne pose.

As per tradition we hit Dairy Queen afterwards.  That is always yummy and fun.  Then we came home and Helena danced some more, leaping everywhere, practicing her form.  I think she has discovered what incredible things her body can do.  It's a wonderful reminder for me.

Last night almost ended in a few tears as Helena was already missing her ballet teacher and not looking forward to a summer without dancing.  So here we go looking up ballet and art workshops and  stockpiling more clay . . . .

How was your weekend?  I hope your weekend was grand and that your Monday is treating you well.

 

 

 

 

Weekending~May 13, 2012

Joining amanda for weekending . . . .

A glorious and too short weekend just rushed by me.

We watched Chicken Run on Friday.  I love that there is always one character who knits in all of the Aardman films.

Saturday was Helena's last day of regular ballet class, on to dress rehearsal and recital.  I can't believe another year of dance is over.

I spent some time wrestling with the calendar and wrapping my mind around it.

I spent some time missing my grandma.  I look at her embroidery runner and try to imagine what she was thinking when she made it.

I painted a study for a commission and I liked the results so much I was able to start the actual painting.  I love it when I can think and paint clearly.

I came home to a beautiful banner the kiddos created for me.

Greg made a quick batch of oatmeal cookies using a recipe from this book.

I also experimented making some rice balls per Elijah's request.  He has decided he wants them for lunch at school now.  They are pretty tasty.

I read some more of this and finished this.

Sunday was coffee and a trip back to my studio.  What an awesome Mother's Day gift.  I made good progress on my painting and had time to read some more.

The rest of the afternoon was spent outside with the family-kids off doing various things in various parts of the yard.  Our radishes and tomatoes are showing their first leaves.  There were popsicles.  Greg taught the kiddos how to saw and whittle.  Looks like I need to order some kid-sized saws and a manual drill.

Bliss-to just sit with a sweet breeze blowing, listening to birds chatter while they hopped around in the newly-tilled garden picking around for a meal, watching the kiddos jet, lope and meander around the yard from project to activity to project.

Dinner was some delicious take-out pizza capped off with our first bonfire of the season.  It was extremely difficult to turn off the light on this particular weekend.

I hope your weekend was grand and that your week is off to a wonderful start.

First Communion

I can't believe my two middle babies just celebrated their First Communion.  Where has the time gone?!  It was a wonderful celebration.  Helena and Elijah knew what was happening too thanks to those many Meditations held by the religious education director.  We talked about many things during those programs-forgiveness, kindness, open hearts and minds, seeing God/Spirit as a woman, compassion.  I could go on.  It was a very positive experience in which the children had a firm hand.  I love that Fr.  Tom had the children sit up on the altar steps with him for the majority of mass.

We had a wonderful and raucous lunch with my parents and brother after the service.  So now I am beat.  I didn't realize how worked up I was during this whole process.  But as quick as a flash it's over, and now onto the rest of the busyness of May.

How was your weekend?

Sorry for Party Rockin'

Doran loves to write and read.  It's like a light has switched on lately.  The boy just loves language.  We can add this love to his other loves-art and music. 

Doran has been at it on his walls again.  He loves himself a big "canvas".   Greg and I are going to try to get a section of his wall painted with chalkboard paint this summer.  I am sure he will go "out of bounds", but who knows.  It's worth trying.  I think we'll have him help paint his walls too.  Perhaps we'll try a whiteboard-again.  Last time he destroyed it and wouldn't keep it on his wall.  Hmm, this should be very innerestin'.

Some kids have posters of groups on their walls, Doran writes.  Greg and I fell over with laughter when we started reading what he wrote.  Doran is a hoot.  Check out his walls and see if you can spot any songs or groups you like.  Sorry for party rockin'.

 

Weekending~April 29, 2012

Joining Amanda for weekending . . . .

What is with the funky movies?  I seem to be picking some interesting ones lately.  We saw Frogs and Toads.  It is a movie from the Netherlands.  It is very interesting seeing other countries' kid movies.  The kids look like actual kids.

Saturday was a marathon day at church.  The kids were at First Communion prep (a retreat) from 9am to 5pm.  We left early.  I must admit I had to do some attitude adjusting because the schedule just felt overwhelming even though it was planned with love and good intentions and everything worked out.  The kiddos are pretty excited and I think they understand a lot about the sacrament.  They participated whole-heartedly in the mass.  Something I never would have done, and probably wouldn't do now being the introvert that I am.

The kids made bread during the retreat, practiced looking reverential while processing, and talked about the banners they made for First Communion.  We go to a very welcoming and open church so it's nice to see the kiddos actually enjoy and understand the process.

Sunday was all ours. We cleaned, had some donuts.  The adults drank coffee because we were pretty tired.

Doran helped mow the lawn while I tended seedlings that are reticent to sprout.  Luckily our garlic is coming up and it was fascinating.  I've never seen garlic sprout before now.

Part of the day Greg spent baking-making pizza for our pizza-crazy Doran, pull-apart cinnamon bread, and a couple of loaves of regular bread, one of which we bestowed on our neighbor.

Then Greg and Eden folded basket after basket of clothes.

I went to the hobby store in search of some fun figurines for my terrariums.

Elijah's First Communion outfit is mostly complete.  He decided he wanted to wear a tie; orange was one of the colors he thought he would like, so orange it is.

Our lovely neighbor borrowed our rototiller and came back with 4 half-gallons of ice cream.  Then later he came with homemade fried rice, Chinese sausage and fried wonton.  Hmm we need to have him borrow more garden implements.  Thanks to our neighbor we had a very tasty dinner.

And that was our weekend.  How was yours?

Eleven Years

How this boy got to be eleven years old I will never know.  Eleven super speedy trips around the sun.  I can't believe his growing independence and ever-increasing determination and 'voice'.  He has a 'voice'; he has himself and now he shares himself with us.

He thoroughly enjoyed his chocolate cake.

This year he told me what he wanted for his birthday-such a change. I can even tell what he might like-hence the yoga cd and giant Twix bar I gave him.  Doran is a big fan of what he calls 'Zen and spa music' and the boy just loves himself some Twix.  

What a young man he is turning out to be despite autism and despite all of the "nevers".

Doran even likes a little girl in his class.  I guess this is the age.  He shows his affection by calling her "poopy head".  Rude, but it seems on target for typical 5th grade boy behavior.  We do have to help him refine his approach.

So yesterday, he was celebrated with chocolate cake with a blue balloon (Doran's request), his favorite music (BB King), gifts, kiwi, iced tea, birthday flowers picked out by Eden, hugs, inspiration and wonderment.

Happy Birthday my Sweet!

Easter Weekend

Super duper late, but I am joining Amanda for weekending . . .

 

Another fast weekend . . .

This one blew by me, despite having Good Friday off, but it was a good one

We took our first true family bike ride as I finally procured a bike-thanks Greg!  It felt great to be pedaling along again.  I was lucky to get this bike, as a neighbor was selling it at a low, low price.  His wife rode it only once.  I think he left her behind on a bike trail - in the woods, and that was the end of that.

We planted a willow tree in 0ur oft flooded backyard in hopes that it would absorb the excess water we get so parts of our garden would be less soggy.  Except this year, we don't seem to be getting enough rain or snow.  Go figure.

I had to give up my fantasy idea of attending certain services holiday because things were getting scrunched.  So perhaps next year, we'll make it to the Requiem on Good Friday and Easter Vigil.  This year was a bust for both, but it was okay.

I made two peach cobblers this year (one for my family and one for a dear friend and her family), and potato salad.  Unlike previous years, I wasn't up until 1am making them.  So there is some progress on the organizational front.

The kiddos received their yarn balls and promptly lost two in my mom's house, but they enjoyed them.  I knitted up some super tiny and regular eggs, but of course I forgot to take pictures of the tiny ones.

There was egg dyeing and hunting, good company and a whole lot of Easter food.  I won't have to eat for days.  My mother cooks marvelously so there was brunch and then there was dinner: biscuits, ham, deviled seafood eggs, mac and cheese, candied yams, roast chicken, collards, green beans, cornbread biscuits and brisket.  I don't know how she does it.  I can barely make dinner every day.  Speaking of which I need to find her recipe for roast drumsticks.

I hope your weekend was wonderful and your week started off gently. 

 

Moving Earth

Joining Amanda at the habit of being for weekending. . . .

It was a whirlwind, this weekend-too fast, as they all are

Hansel and Gretel was our movie of the week.  It was delightful.  I was surprised to see David Warner and Cloris Leachman.  She was quite entertaining as the witch.  This version did away with the stepmother angle and people kicking the bucket.

Saturday I went to WEBS with some friends.  That place is insane.  I had my project notebook with me; it helped-a little.  I was wayyyy overwhelmed by all of the yarn (discounted too) goodness at this place.  Holy macaroni.  There was all kinds of yarn: Noro, silks, wool, wool blends, pretty much whatever you want.  I got some yarn for projects for myself and for the kiddos' birthdays.   If you go, have your list of projects and necessary gauge information (something I forgot here and there).  I urge you to go if you can, but just make sure you have your lists and a lot of time.

After the yarn mecca, we had dinner in Northampton- a quirky and fun town.

I finished a felted ball; now on to the next one.  I also found some more delightful Easter projects-we'll see.

Sunday was incredible.  We spent most of the day outside, prepping the garden-chopping, raking and moving earth. I did take a minute to go buy some CowPots.  You can probably guess their contents.  I think I want to try them with our watermelon and pumpkins since neither plant likes to be transplanted and our growing season is so short.

I ordered a much needed Willow tree, and came a few steps further in deciding what stays and what goes, and which plant goes where.  I do enjoy this Spring ritual.  Speaking of which, the Vernal Equinox is only a day away.

We took about an hour away for the kiddos' Meditation First Communion program.  We all enjoyed the hour even though we had to stop our gardening to go.

Then Greg grilled some burgers and we had our first picnic dinner outside.  It was a chilly one, but it felt great.  We probably looked a bit strange plunked in the middle of our front yard, but oh well.

There was even a little bit of time left over for some Shaun the Sheep and Fat Albert viewing.

Here's to weekends.  How was yours?

Sweet Relief

Joining Amanda for weekending . . . .

Ah, a long (well sort of ) weekend.

Last week was long and we were all looking forward to the weekend.

My mom and dad came down for a quick visit.

We watched How to Frame a Figg-quite a hoot with Don Knotts.  We didn't even make brownies because the grandparents left plenty of treats, not to mention Girl Scout cookies had arrived the day before.

There was more color chart work and color discoveries-Winsor Yellow works wonders when combined with French Ultramarine.  Brown madder is also a nice new discovery.

Saturday evening I broke out the old tablecloths and placed them on the floor so the kiddos could have a "pic-pic", as Eden calls it.  Thankfully Greg made a tasty pizza for dinner because mama was tired.

Then off to a wine and cheese gathering at a friend's house-so good to hang out.  We "partied" pretty hard until 12:30am, or rather 1:30am, due to that dastardly daylight savings time shift.  It was such a relaxing evening after a full day.

Sunday we were tennis and obligation-free so there was space and time for going to the park together, watching Canada geese battle it out, sniffing flowers at the greenhouse and playing ball.

The heaps and heaps of laundry got folded by everyone working together - a first.  The kiddos learned that folding clothes wouldn't cause them bodily harm.

Dinner was a Bittman special: spinach spaghetti with mushroom sauce and a side of squash (so out of season, but Doran begged and I complied).

While the kiddos rode their bikes, I read a bit of Taproot.  It is a reassuring and lovely "community-zine".  That's the most accurate way I can describe it.  Shannon Hayes provided some of the most interesting quotes from the magazine: we "... must embrace what it means to fully be human.  This means spending a few hours resting, a few hours playing, a few hours creating, a few hours teaching, a few hours learning, a few hours nourishing our bodies . . . a few hours tending the soil and connecting with ourselves . . . and our planet."

How was your weekend?

Happy Mardi Gras

Happy Mardi Gras everyone!  Since we can't be in New Orleans for at least the family-friendly celebrations, I decided we would have our own up here in CT.  I have made my first ever red beans and rice, gumbo,  and King Cake for our Mardi Gras dinner.  I don't dare try the etouffee or beignets.  I think next year we'll have to invite some folks over.  This party needs more of a crowd.  I do wish I could find my 1979 era beads.  I loved those things-the newer beads don't do much for me.  At least I have my old dubloons, yay!  I did pull out my green Halloween lights.  Turns out, I can use those for Mardi Gras  and St. Patrick's Day.  Sweet.

The day has been fun and busy so far with the kids stealing King Cake filling and helping me prepare.  Eden has been running around with her Halloween basket wishing everyone "Happy 'Olidays!", and looking for candy.  Hmm.  Now it's on to my bread pudding and fried chicken.  I have to put at least one vegetable dish in there somewhere.

Happy Mardi Gras!