11-Eve

Sister's turning 11 tomorrow (at 6:40am, to be precise). She asked me this morning if she was going to be a teenager after this birthday, then she said she couldn't think of anything she wanted for a birthday present, then she asked if she could have some coffee.

My sweet smart girl, my ninja, my violinist; a Minecraft extraordinaire, Guinea pig tamer, OJ maker, and ponytail aficionado; afraid of spiders, not afraid to help a stranger, thoughtful and funny and uninterested in frilly things..... the best girl a Mama could ask for.

We did a "Yes Day" this past weekend instead of a traditional birthday party this time around (her choice), have you heard of these? Basically for one full day you get to do whatever you want (within reason). Anything that would add to the enjoyment of the day, the answer is yes.

She had doughnuts for breakfast.
She played Minecraft all morning.
She had Ramen noodles and a trip to the ice cream shop for lunch.
She skipped our usual rest time and played Minecraft some more.
We had fondue for dinner, and for dessert she had frozen CoolWhip topped with the filling from Oreos (just the filling, not kidding).
She stayed up as late as she wanted and read in bed (she lasted until about 10pm).

She reports it was an excellent Yes Day.

Of course we have a few more surprises for her real birthday, and there will be cupcakes to bring to school tomorrow. It's hard over here, lemme tell ya.

Oh my girl, you are a hoot. Happy 11-Eve!

Hanging Out

 

I had the opportunity last night to get my two Littles to settle in the kitchen with me while I made dinner. We all shared "special drinks," talked about our bests and worsts for the day, and joked around. The windows were open, the house was quiet, and the dog was calm(ish). It was a great time... just hanging out.

Pasta

We made two huge lasagnas this past weekend- from scratch- for some friends that came over for dinner... and by 'from scratch,' I mean we made homemade bechamel, homemade marinara, and homemade pasta (then packed it all in a disposable casserole pan because, life).

What's funny is I thought it would be an afternoon of me in the kitchen doing sauces and browning meat and making pasta sheets all by my lonesome while respective screens held everyone else captive... but a funny thing happened when the pasta maker came out...

First there was one, then there were two, and in the end all three of my people were in there with me, helping (or taking photos)! I shouldn't have been surprised, they all historically have a healthy interest in helping to make (and eat) pasta (going all the way back to here).

It was a good time (and a good dinner)!

A Lesson Learned

We cleaned up the yard a bit this past weekend, and part of that process was finally moving the chicken tractor from it's fateful location where it failed our peeps (I haven't done a thing to it since that morning). When I rolled it away to be stored next to the garden, Audrey was left staring at the hole where the coyote breached the perimeter, and she decided she didn't want to see it anymore. It made her imagine her scared Blue Chick and all the feathers she found afterwards.

She decided she would fill it in and mark the spot so she could remember the peeps, but not feel sad about what happened anymore.

And so she did.

I watched her from the sidelines and stayed out of the way, and she worked at filling in that hole by herself until it was to her satisfaction. She didn't look up, she didn't ask for help or say a word about the rocky soil or the manual labor, she just kept her head down and did the work until the hole was filled and marked with some gray-blue stones... the same color as her Blue Chick's feathers.

When she was done she moved on with her day, and I think that small effort gave her a measure of peace that all my words- and the reading of this book- hadn't helped her find.

For a moment after I discovered our loss, I considered trying to hide it from my kiddos, and though I did end up telling them that morning what happened, I think the fact that we took more than a month to go out there and actually deal with the site testifies to the fact that on some level I was still trying to protect them from the reality of what happened out there. However, I have to consider that in keeping the details from them, I might have actually dragged out their pain and sense of loss (for the Chicken Friend at least), and facing it head-on and dealing with it hands-on is actually what helped the most.

I'll have to remember this lesson learned, for sure.

Right Now

Right now, I'm...

...feeling that seasonal tugging and pulling outward to our outdoor projects; this past weekend I finally made the time to break up my iris and move them away from an area where Suka had basically trodden them down to nothing. In their place now stands several large boulders that I'd like to see her destroy! Hardscaping for the win!
...gearing up for our first weeknight soccer game (tonight) that will probably keep us out until 9pm. I hope our little guys can last that long... and it's still so hot, too!
...spending a lot of time feeding bees. This hot and dry streak we can't seem to break is really delaying the fall nectar flow, and even hives that had good stores coming through the summer are needing a little help. Keeping fingers crossed that we'll get some rain- and then a nice fall bloom- before it freezes!
...looking forward to a Wednesday night out to participate in a wine dinner at a local farm-to-table restaurant with some friends, and hoping us bigs can last that long (because we'll probably be out after 9pm on another weeknight... unheard of)!
...fighting all of nature right now to keep my hens and eggs! We're now down to three hens and our young mosaic rooster, and I have a suspicion as the seasons change that the attention they're getting right now from all the predators is only going to increase. We may need to give that automatic door a break for a bit and coop them up (ahem) while we lock down and fortify the run. Plans are already underway.
...beginning to think about a certain girl's eleventh birthday, now only about three weeks away (as I have been recently reminded). This year she is choosing to pilot a new celebration idea- the Yes Day. Instead of a typical party with friends and favors and such, Sister wants to have a day where we do whatever she wants (within reason) and no one can say no from the moment she wakes up until she goes to bed. She is practically giddy with all the things she thinks she's going to ask to do, and the list keeps growing. It will be interesting to say the least... and Little Brother is watching and taking notes!
...feeling absolutely weary of the mid-90's, the humidity, and the absolute lack of anything autumnal. Could we at least have a puff of fresh air? This summer feels like it will never end, and all the fall ads with flannel and hot drinks and fires are making me feel rather jealous.

Right now I'm alternating between hiding out in air conditioning and sweating my everything off working outside, making grand plans for when it finally cools off, and wishing that we weren't flying so quickly towards Eleven Years Old and the end of the year, all at the same time. So same old, same old.

This Moment

Sharing a moment from the weekend- a simple, special, extraordinary moment I want to capture and save: Sister on her violin in the peace of her room, practicing holding her instrument with her chin, plucking the strings.

Wishing all a happy Monday- and a happy first day of Autumn!- as well as a week filled with moments just as simple and just as special.

Weekending

This weekend we managed a super-hot soccer game, a trip to Daddy's office to hang up his new art, a cookout with friends, banana pancakes, a movie, and even a little spare time for harvest moon-gazing, reading, and cookie-baking. It flew by, but it was a good one.

Wishing all a week that subscribes to the same. Happy Tuesday!