I've moved!

Come visit me in my new digs.

Gift

January is galloping to a close so I suppose I'd better get these old photos up before I forget about them altogether.

This blogs serves two main purposes for me: 1) to keep in touch with friends (mainly just you, dear Oregonian birthday girl) and family and 2) because I have absolutely no long term memory capacity and I would forget all this life stuff without the visual reminders.

So! December. We took an adorable Christmas photo of the kids for the first time ever.

I especially like the outtakes

We celebrated St. Nicholas Day

and Christmas, most notably with a nativity play at church

and the elaborate construction of a gingerbread house

We also made some special treats for dear ones

including our new goddaughter and her family

(the banana is a rattle and the pear is crinkly)

We also started our Winter Wonderland semester and made crystals during our study of snowflakes

making a super saturated solution

Liam had a very happy birthday

and a few days later his new birthday bear Teddy was blissfully wedded to Curious George, with the whole stuffed herd in attendance

Liam presided, of course

We played in a whole lot of snow

And suddenly, here we are in 2011! Here's to another full, imperfect, wild, and joyous year!

Wonder

Okay, I have to be honest. As much as I love seasons, winter is starting to be a drag. Don't get me wrong, I love the sparkly snow. I love the multiple hot beverages per day. I even love the way that snow days force you to stay home and turn down the volume on your life.

That's all fine and good.

I am so over the stuffing of the little limbs into coats, the hats gaily flung off while the boots are being put on, the truly incredible amount of time that must be added to every arrival and departure. You know what's even more fun than two preschoolers and all their winter gear? When one of them is ever so slightly not exactly potty trained.

Please don't even get me started on the driving. I learned to drive in Minnesota but no amount of experience prepares me for the anxiety of making a slippery turn with two profoundly expressive backseat helpers.

Luckily, those very same preschoolers are the reason that I am finding more than the average helping of joy and wonder in this season. We just finished our study of animals in winter and this week moved onto shadows and Groundhog's Day. I am once again amazed that in my thirty two years of life and multiple viewings of the classic Bill Murphy vehicle by the same name, I never really understood nor bothered to learn more about Groundhog's Day or the related Catholic holiday of Candlemas, which celebrates on February 2 an event described in the Gospel of Luke.

From the mighty Wikipedia:

According to the gospel, Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after his birth to complete Mary's ritual purification after childbirth, and to perform the redemption of the firstborn, in obedience to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 12, Exodus 13:12-15, etc.). Luke explicitly says that Joseph and Mary take the option provided for poor people (those who could not afford a lamb) in Leviticus 12:8, sacrificing "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."

Upon bringing Jesus into the temple, they encountered Simeon the Righteous. The Gospel records that Simeon had been promised that "he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ" (Luke 2:26). Simeon prayed the prayer that would become known as the Nunc Dimittis, or Canticle of Simeon, which prophesied the redemption of the world by Jesus:

Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples; a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel (Luke 2:29-32).

Simeon then prophesied to Mary: "Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34-35).

The elderly prophetess Anna was also in the Temple, and offered prayers and praise to God for Jesus, and spoke to everyone there about Jesus and his role in the redemption of Israel (Luke 2:36-38).

I am very sure that I never encountered Candlemas or those originating verses in Luke in all my years of CCD. The things you learn when they bounce off your child onto you!

I've been poking around these notions of premonition and prophesy and remembering how I used to really wish that someone would just tell me the answer to some of the big questions that I had about my life. In the early days of dating Joe, especially when he was living in Scotland, I spent a lot of time wondering and wishing I knew what our lives together or apart would hold. When I was grieving my miscarriages, I wanted someone to just tell me if I would be able to have a healthy, full term baby of my own. I felt like, even if the answer was no, I would be able to move forward in coping if only I knew how the story would end.

Somewhere in the last five years or so, in the crazy swirl of parenting little children, I released my need to know the ending. I can't say if this is progress or not because it also feels related somehow to the way I can't watch some kinds of movies or read certain sorts of books because I worry that the heartbreak within might be too great to bear.

Winter is such a dark time. I am so thankful for all the small glowing treasures that light the way to Spring.

But that's a post for another day.

New

Happy New Year!

What's new for me in 2011:

1. A brand new, very dear goddaughter

2. Guitar lessons

3. 2 international trips (one to Ireland with my mother, another to Italy and Ireland with my husband, children, and in-laws)

4. Delving more deeply into reading and writing with my boys. They are so fascinated by all they know already so I am trying to strike while the iron is hot.

5. Lots of performances

6. Baby steps toward a new yoga home practice

7. Early to bed, early to rise (so help me God)

8. Making friends with my sewing machine

9. Organizing the upstairs bedroom

10. A new dedication to family night

I'm releasing:

1. FFFF posts for now. I'm a nervous winter driver and tend to stay home as much as possible in these snowy months. I may revive these in the spring. They were starting to feel like a chore.

2. Lots of clothes, toys, and household items that still have good use left in them to Goodwill and the Crowded Closet.

3. The notion that I can be healthy without exercising regularly. I need to develop and maintain better habits.

Joe and I are trying really hard to dedicate ourselves to an evening routine and a morning routine as a way of getting all the household chores done. When we stick with it, it works beautifully. The simpler it is, the stickier. Unfortunately, the simpler it is, the less effective it is but maybe we can trick ourselves into building it up. This is obviously a work in progress. What isn't?

I was having such difficulty getting the momentum going to post something, anything at all. I'll be back soon again with a homeschooling update. We started the Winter Wonderland curriculum and love it just as much as Harvest Time.

More soon!

FFFF

On Fridays, I like to post some fun and frugal Eastern Iowa family adventure ideas for the upcoming weekend.

What a Load of Craft! on Saturday, December 11 from 11 am to 7 pm at the Johnson County Fairgrounds (4261 Oak Crest Hill Road SE in Iowa City directly off Riverside Dr. aka Old Hwy 218).

What a Load of Craft! is a DIY arts, crafts, and music event in Iowa City, Iowa. What A Load of Craft! consists of a DIY (do-it-yourself) craft fair with local crafsters and artists selling their handmade goods, live music performances by local and regional musicians, and a Craft Death Match.

Alternative Gift Market at Trinity Episcopal Church in Iowa City on Saturday, December 11 from 10 am to 4 pm and Sunday, December 12 from 9 am to 1 pm.

Join us for some meaningful Christmas shopping. Make gift donations in honor of family and friends or buy gifts from our fair-trade vendors. Sales and donations benefit local, national, and international causes.

30th Annual Aisle of Lights Weekend in Coralville. Full details of all the weekends activities can be viewed here. Special note: The Iowa Children's Museum will have free admission on Sunday and will feature Festivals of Lights celebrations from around the world with storytelling and traditional crafts from other countries.

Coralville's 30th annual Aisle of Lights weekend includes free events throughout Coralville on December 11 and 12, and miles luminarias available for viewing beginning at 5:00 pm on Sunday evening, December 12.

Have a wonderful weekend!

FFFF

On Fridays, I like to post some fun and frugal Eastern Iowa family adventure ideas for the upcoming weekend.

The Snow Queen at the Old Creamery Theatre in the Amana Colonies on Saturday, December 4 at 11 am.

The beautiful but evil snow Queen has cast a spell on Kai and taken him to her frozen castle, far away. His young friend Gerda begins the dangerous search for Kai and meets many interesting characters along the way. Will Gerda ever find the icy palace and will she be able to break the powerful spell to save her friend? Come celebrate the power of love and friendship in this Old Creamery Theatre for Young Audiences production.

Fire and Ice Festival in downtown Cedar Rapids on Saturday, December 4 from 2:30 to 9 pm. 2:30p.m. Activities Begin at Towne Square Plaza (210 3rd Ave. SE)

Free carriage rides through downtown, entertainment from fire juggler Doug Sayers, holiday décor including wrapped LED trees, vintage holiday banners and planters can be enjoyed throughout downtown along with holiday window displays provided by participating downtown businesses. Chili Challenge with Quality Chef Foods, Holiday DeLight Parade, Santa and Friends Meet-and-Greet where families are welcome to visit with Santa, Mrs. Claus, elves and live reindeer while enjoying free holiday snacks.

Alternative Gift Market at Trinity Episcopal Church in Iowa City on Sunday, December 5 from 9 am to 1 pm.

Join us for some meaningful Christmas shopping. Make gift donations in honor of family and friends or buy gifts from our fair-trade vendors. Sales and donations benefit local, national, and international causes.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Seamster

Here are some of the pictures that I promised.

Liam's first sewing project, blankets for Froggie and Toadie.







R2-D2 "helping"



Proud little seamster

Every artist needs an audience.

Tucking in the the twins all snug in their new blankets.

From the mouths of babes: "I like to make stuff. But buying stuff is really good too."