Summer feet.

ever since i was a wee’un, i have been mildly obsessed with my feet. perhaps it is because they are freakishly skinny, often the only part of me able to lay claim to that descriptor. in any case, there is a moment, a moment that happens only once every few years, where my humble toesies become the perfect symbol for a perfect summer.

this year, it’s made even better by the addition of friendship anklets (or, “piglet anklets” as edmund calls them). agatha made mine herself.

A perfect summer, you say? What makes it a perfect summer?  Well, this:

several hilarious and mostly successful rounds of scrabble,

baking and craft sessions just me and the kiddies,

down time,

day trips with cousins,

water fun of all kinds,

and Canada Day cuteness.

As a sidenote, i love how a gallery of photos distills the fun times, making them far outshine the regular bumps and hiccups of daily life.

Now, we’re back, and into the thick of our first summer of lessons.  Just swimming and yoga, mind you, but the first sessions where both the children are occupied at the same time.

so, now that you’re overwhelmed with photos, a Question O’ the Day:

what makes a summer perfect?

wouldn’t this be great with pictures?

except, there aren’t any. i haven’t gotten out my camera in the past three days. so, i’ll give a brief description of my life and times here on Keats, that will have to tide all you MilleyAddicts over until i have a comp-you-terr again in a few days.

first, the sailing lessons. well, it was one lesson, actually, the second being cancelled due to crazy morning winds and a small craft warning. barbie and i managed, rather ungracefully in my case, to throw ourselves into a tiny sailboat trainer (basically, a pontoon with mast and sail), and proceeded to laugh and chat our way through three hours of lazy sailing. it was a pretty big life moment for me, having sworn as a teenager never to sail, following a rather disastrous experience at camp. (think flapping sails, swinging boom, careening into the dock prow first, etc. oh wait, that’s a bit like me in a car now.) but, like a lot of the things i’ve attempted in the past few years, i’m a bit more calm and capable now, and i don’t expect to get everything right away, which also helps.

other happenings on MilleyIsle:

the children are bickering with each other like Punch and freaking Judy, and i am struggling to come up with new strategies that don’t involve sending them into separate rooms, or building a cage for them to fight it out UFC-style

the kids and i were mesmerized on thursday afternoon by the sight of a garter snake with a giant banana slug in its jaws. who knew that snakes find those slimy things tasty?

i am working on my not-so-mad rowing skills, hopelessly plowing up and down the island coast line, much to the merriment and derision of the cottager neighbours.

so, there you have it. a bit of a catch-up, milleystyle.

now, for a Question o’ the Day: what new thing do you think you should try, despite any misgivings?

i’m on keats; where are you?

seriously, where are you right now?
that’s all for today. how twitter of me.

testing my resolve

today i assembled  the cake for edmund’s third birthday party.  it did not go as planned.  in fact, as you are about to see, it had some serious structural and artistic difficulties.  nevertheless, since i am dedicated to bringing you an authentic version of my life (smirk), i have recorded the various foibles and mishaps in a timelapse.  fortunately, there is no voiceover (i hope you like the track i chose instead).  though, if you look carefully, you might notice the air turning slightly blue at certain junctures in the protracted procedure. to jaegen, i have offered several apologies for my foul mood as i wrangled with the fondant behemoth.  however, enough with the inelegant preamble.  i give you:  ChocolateFondantCastleCake2009

(you’ll note that, despite my whinging, edmund and his cousins were quite pleased with the result.  this, i suspect, has much more to do with the liberal helpings of jello, and sprinklings of candy, than with the structure itself.)

Question o’ the day:  what is your favourite kind of birthday cake (or treat)?

4 things that give me joy.

From edmund’s birthday on friday:

From this weekend:

from today:

Question O’ the day:  What’s warming your heart these days?

We be jammin’

har har. here is a photo journal of yesterday’s jam-making marathon:

Thanks to my grocery guy, (yes, i seem to have a rapport with one of the local grocers) i got a flat of berries, some amazing organic apricots (totally by chance, rather than choice btw), lemons, and rhubarb.

Bought some jars at the local hardware store (they’re great, too; they have everything!)

Then commenced the great 5 hour process of making jam. First, an apricot ginger concoction (sans pectin):
oh, great recipe here
Then, a strawberry rhubarb combo (again, without pectin)

In jars, the apricot ginger looked like this:

and the stove, after all that jammy goodness, looked like this:

uh, note to self. BUY PROPER POTS FOR JAM MAKING! DO NOT RELY ON ONE SMALL POT TO DO ALL THE WORK.
Question o’ the day: what is your favourite topping for toast?

new day, new tude.

i am happy to report that we are all on the mend today. fevers have abated. edmund’s leg has been seen to, and is apparently healing. teddy bear-shaped buttermilk pancakes have been consumed. here’s to a mellow day in the sunshine!
question o’ the day: what is your must-have picnic item?

House of Virus, catching up, and a Maternity Manifesto

i’ll be writing this for as long as the kids play happily in playroom and den, so i may conclude rather abruptly. consider yourselves duly forewarned. I did, however, think it was time for a post, though i am rather loathe to catalogue the happenings of the last week, since there have been few highlights. In the main, we are sick with the flu, not the stomach flu, thankfully, but the fevery, mewling cough, stuffy, achy flu. jaegen succumbed first, and spent the end of last week shuffling from upstairs to down and back again, muttering in fevered sleep, and generally overcome by malaise. the kids and i have it now, and we are sort of coping, with no trips (yet) to emerg, thankfully.
There were a couple of bright spots, however. We were privileged to be a part of the Rigolo’s ConfirmationCelebration 2009, and we had an extended visit with dr. (dr.) miranda, who braved the house of illness to visit with us before jetting off to Thailand (lucky girl). if we’d been more well, this would be where i would insert photos of these happy events. instead you’ll have to imagine the laughter and subdued good times.
on another note, i have been composing a list of things that i want to declare to the world, since i have, of late, felt mildly (and sometimes, acutely) misunderstood. the beginning goes something like this:

I, Jennifer will

1. cease to apologize for having an untidy house, thereby implying that i think that cleanliness is a virtue of some kind, or that i secretly judge others for the states of their respective abodes.

2. proclaim that the things that i do, including, but not restricted to: cooking, baking, sewing, knitting, crafting, and hosting i do because I WANT TO DO THEM, and not because they are TRADITIONAL DOMESTIC PURSUITS that befit a mother. seriously. this means, therefore, that i do not hold in lower esteem any other woman/mother who does not like/pursue these same activities.

3. stop comparing myself, as much as possible, to my peers. nuff said.

4. try to accept that, though, motherhood most often FEELS like I am failing at a number of smallish tasks simultaneously, it doesn’t mean i am A FAILURE.

i’m still thinking on this topic, and therefore may subject you soon to more of these rather pompous pronouncements. i will attempt, however, to make them more pithy and witty.

Question o’ the day:
If you were to declare something to the world today, what would you declare? (like a facebook status, or a promise, or a clarification….) in capital letters, please

dude.

sometimes, things are just…wacky. Like:

my ancient, apartment-sized oven died.

for the third time.

bought a new one.

it won’t arrive for 3 weeks.

seriously.

Then:

agatha got attacked, and i do mean attacked, by an angry bee/wasp Sunday night.

it stung her 5 times.

it was still attacking when jaegen swooped her up into the house.

first stings ever, and the most terrifying kind.

Oh, and:

Edmund spent 3 1/2 hours at Children’s b/c his skin rash (sorry, guys, for the gross) has begun to abscess.

he’s now on antibiotics.

if they don’t work, we’re back to hospital for an iv drip of stronger antibiotics.

But, then:

All the kindergarteners at Agatha’s school led chapel yesterday morning.

agatha decided to surprise us.

don’t worry, it’s a good surprise.

Feel free to just watch bits and pieces; i tried to edit it to a more succinct chunk, but my video editing software (aka Picasa from Google) is crap.  also, jaegen says that he couldn’t zoom in, which explains the classic, “Whose-kid-is-that-at-the-front-singing?” perspective on the video.

all and all, we’re living in a crazy time right now.  how about you? Question O’ the Day:  what’s something random that’s happened to you in the last week?

Sand and Thread

There’s a war going on in our household right now, and i’m not sure which substance will win. A fine layer of play sand coats every surface, evidence of the children’s continuing delight in the sandbox (yeah). Likewise, there are blue threads EVERYWHERE, since I furiously assembled my newly-arrived pattern
(Did I mention my patterns arrived?)

to produce this:

Or, for a more steady look at it, see it on Debbie:

Needless to say, it’s been a crazy time at our house.  great, but crazy.  i’ve had some creative stuff on the go:

a skirt for agatha, and my continuing obsession with drawing on my running t-shirts:

also, this weekend, The King of Mountain Bike Cool, aka Marshall Cant, aka my dad, rolled into town for the NorthShore Bike Fest.  Photo op with grandbabies:

it was pretty sweet to be up on the deck overlooking the show.  it was likewise sweet that dad gave me some of the famous Peet’s Coffee.  (Check out the way he wrapped it for the journey home.  classic dad.  love it.

so, there you have it.  a few of the things i’ve been up to, described in a totally chaotic and random fashion.  largely explained by small monkey-like child sitting on lap, alternately trying to attack keyboard, and pestering to watch the cake decorating timelapse, which i have promised he may watch for the hundreth time, once i’ve finished furiously posting.

for my Question o’ the day:  when you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?