A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words

I came across my son looking at his own reflection.

Noah all snuggled in with his Mama's bath robe.

Sweet Baby

A Christmas Baptism

     Last Sunday marked the first Sunday of the Advent season and we began our preparation for the celebration of Christmas. Coincidentally, it was also my son's baptism. Originally, I had not chosen December 2nd as the date, but in hind sight I am glad it worked out that way. Reflecting on it now, I have come to discover the beauty in the symbolism that day represents for my son and myself.
     As I said, Advent is a time of preparation, thoughtfulness, and joy and what better way to remind myself of that than through the preparation of of my own son into his own journey of his Faith. That day, in the moment he was cleansed with the baptismal waters, was just the first in many moments until he comes to his final Celebration.
    

 Now, when I light the candles of the Advent wreath, I am reminded of the lighting of the candle at Noah's baptism. It is not just a "countdown" of sorts until Christmas. The light from the candles reminds me of the love God has for us. It reminds me to live in the light of that Love.

       

An Afternoon in Autumn

  Before we welcome in winter and the holiday season, I thought an afternoon spent in the park would be a delightful way to say goodbye to Autumn. Nothing says Fall quite like a good chill in the air and the sound of crunching leaves under foot. So, I packed up the kiddos, bringing along extra blankets for little NoJo, and we headed out!

Leaves!

My Beautiful Babe

He slept the whole time we were out.

My Darling Girl

How I love her so!

Pretend cooking for Mommy.

She was preparing caviar!

   Of course, no day out is complete without a trip to Starbucks...it was cold out after all and we needed something warm to drink.

An Eggnog Latte...

decaf.

Tubby Time

    In my home, bath time is not just another occasion, but a ritual. A ritual which I enjoy putting all of myself into. It's not just a necessity. It is a luxury. A simple pleasure that not only I myself indulge in, I also love pampering my children during their baths. It is such a special time we get to spend together. This afternoon was spent pampering my son, Noah.

Noah's cloth diapers

      A bath in my home includes the works. That not only calls for shampoo and wash, bubbles, bath oils, and delicate scented lotions are all part of the ritual. I have recently discovered a certain brand and fell in love with called Aden + Anais. Their Mum + Bub wash has a nice warm smell as it is scented with sandalwood. Today we stuck with the old traditional stand by...Burt's Bees.

 I brought Noah's tub downstairs so he could have his bath in a nice sunny room. There was such lovely sunshine.

   After a nice long soak, we suds up with a Baby Bee Buttermilk soap bar. It does really make a good soapy lather and the smell is wonderful. Perfect for a sweet little baby.

My Lil Man after his bath. I know, it doesn't look as if he has had a tranquil experience, but he does love his bath. Its the getting out and getting dressed that he hates.

"Look Grammy! I am wearing my Bummis!"

Clean and comfy

    

I Wouldn't Need You - Norah Jones

If I touched myself the way you touched me
If I could hold myself the way you held me
Then I wouldn't need you, no, I wouldn't need you
No, I wouldn't need you to love me.

If I could replace the things you gave me
If I could see my face without the tragedy
Then I wouldn't need you, no, I wouldn't need you
No, I wouldn't need you to love me.

But I do so come back, come back.

If you could see the way I act when I'm alone
If you could hear my voice crack over the phone
Then you'd know I need you, oh, you'd know I need you
Oh, you'd know I need you to love me.

Sense of Smell

     "Memories, imagination, old sentiments, and associations are more readily reached through the sense of smell than through any other channel." – Oliver Wendell Holmes
  
     The other day while gathering up supplies and tools to clean my home, I discovered that I was pretty much out of every store bought cleaner in my cabinet. In an effort to not only be cleaner, but greener and cheaper, I made my own cleaning solution using a recipe my mother used. Very simply, its equal parts vinegar and hot water. I also added tea tree oil to the mix. I love it for its clean scent and its disinfectant properties. Needless to say, it did the trick and worked very well...on everything! Hooray for a multipurpose cleaner! My favorite part though were the memories from the smell. I was instantly transported back to the home of my adolescence where Fridays were know as cleaning day and the air was so thick with the smell of vinegar it could leave feeling a bit pickled. I pictured my Mom in her kitchen mixing up batches in great big spray bottles and then passing them out to us kids where we in turn would disperse to the rooms of the house to spray and shine. I loved it! I loved how homey it felt because I was reminded of my old home. I will continue to use my Mother's home made vinegar cleaner for the simple joy it brings me, much to the dismay of my 4 year old who, in her own words, thinks the smell is "disgusting" and smells "like poop". Hopefully, this will change and she too in turn will grow to love the scent or her memories of cleaning day won't be as fond as mine.  

A Short Lived Revelation

     I have never been much of a morning person, but with newborn baby, everything changes. Now we are up at 7am regularly to greet the day and on rare occasions it is just him and I. I am beginning to enjoy the morning ritual we have when the house is quiet and I am not hurried, but can sit and observe the different sights and sounds.
     As I type, the coffee maker sounds as if she is moaning and groaning with each cup she brews, finally releasing a long tired sigh at the end of her task. The house is filled with the aroma of the last of the Thanksgiving blend of the season and I shall be sad to see go.
     The light is so soft shining through the window where my son quietly sits looking out. I love the way the red hue in his hair is so much brighter in this light.
     I would love to continue to write about my quiet morning with my son, but he is beginning to cry and my daughter has come downstairs to fill the quiet with sounds of the television and complaints about the lack of "good" cereal in this house. Oh well, it was nice while it lasted. 

The pursuit of non-plastic happiness.

     Now a days almost everything is packaged in plastic, contained in cardboard, or wrapped in cellophane.  In this fast paced society which is so obsessed with mass production and convenience, we have overlooked the small details. So, in an effort to continue to beautify my home, I am on a quest to replace the plastic containers with glass. (On a side note, I am also using baskets for storage. Pretty and practical.) It may seem like such an insignificant detail, but really is such a nice touch to the overall feel of the home and it is the little touches that make a big difference. Besides, have you ever heard anyone say how lovely the light reflects off the plastic? I didn't think so.   

"Are you having a dinner party?"

     Upon arriving home last night, my husband and his friend were greeted by the sight of a beautifully laid out bar, the house dimly light, with the sweet sounds of Andrea Bocelli to welcome them in. A bottle of wine had been opened and given time to breathe. The food, simple, had been given extra embellishments to add to its presentation and arranged just so. Both Eric, and his friend Matt, had an odd look of surprise. "Are you having a dinner party?", Matt asked. "Yes," I replied, "I am having a dinner party for myself."
     I find that the appearance of food is often overlooked. A friend once told me that you can't taste ugly, but I am of the mind that we eat first with our eyes then our mouths. Whether with friends or alone, your table should be set out in an inviting fashion. So what if you are dinging alone? Put that meal, whatever it may be, on a real plate instead of paper and I bet that just maybe it will taste just a little better.


“If more of us valued food and cheer above hoarded gold, it would be a much merrier world.”
― J.R.R. Tolkien

"Eat, drink, and be merry."

Goat cheese with fresh pomegranate seeds and honey. Retrieving these tiny jewels was hard work, but so worth it.

Goat cheese and tomato pizza. Are you noticing a trend? After 9 months of going without, I am making up for lost time.