Week 52: Sight

My Mom has been incredibly blessed with the gift of sight in most all forms of art, but especially when it comes to the art of poetry. I always receive the most beautiful pieces from her. Some, from well-known greats, and others from the most obscure, off-the-wall sources. And one of my favorite things happens to be finding the beauty within obscure, off-the-wall sources :) 

Apparently, God matched us well, mother and daughter :)

This Christmas, she sent a compilation by contemporary American poet, W.S. Merwin, called, The Rain in the Trees. I happened upon one of the most stirring, lovely pieces within this collection. The poem, Sight, perfectly sums up my own compilation of these past 52 weeks of life. I have often looked at my son and wondered if God sent him to me so that I would have sight. I wonder (because I cannot recall) if I had it before he came into my life. Did I see? How could I have? Because the moment that a mere fertilized mass of cells attached itself within in my uterus was the moment that I first saw. 

And in these 52 weeks, I have seen much light. Thank you to all of you who have shone so brightly for us on this journey. May your coming 52 weeks be blessed and inspired.

Sight
-W.S. Merwin

Once
a single cell
found that it was full of light
and for the first time there was seeing

when
I was a bird
I could see where the stars had turned
and I sent out on my journey

high
in the head of a mountain goat
I could see across a valley
under the shining trees something moving

deep 
in the green sea
I saw two sides of the water
and swam between them

I 
look at you
in the first light of the morning
for as long as I can     

Week 50: Comfort and Joy, and my Crowd-Shy Boy

What's new?

My sweet, crowd-shy boy had his first Christmas program in Week 50. I knew that when they all walked in to the gym and he saw the 12 or so parents all sitting there, staring back at him, that he would probably freeze up or cry, despite the fact that I had heard almost the entire program, word-for-word, at home. He froze, then, upon seeing my face in the crowd, ran over to sit directly behind me, performing the entire program from that chair. One little boy stayed up in front of everyone, but rolled around on the ground the entire time, before he took off running. Yet another boy, kept running back and forth between his mom and every kid in the program, then back to his spot again. All of the girls stayed up there and performed. I am sorry because I normally don't notice gender differences like that, but it was too funny not to notice. It was ADORABLE. The whole thing was 15 minutes long, and just precious. My Henry Bee...I could not have been prouder of him :) 

It is not often that I live vicariously through my son, but I have to admit something totally silly and material: Since I was a little girl, I ALWAYS wanted one of those fancy stockings from Land's End with the name stitched up on the top and the pretty, stitched picture below and the velvet on the back. My Great-Grandma hand-knitted all of our stockings, which were so huge and amazing, and she stitched our names into the tops and everything, but as a stupid kid, what did I know about the value of handmade versus machine-made. Yet, I could not resist. I went to order some flannel sheets from the bargain sale Land's End site, and what should pop up, but that beautiful stocking with the choo-choo train on it! My childhood self stared up at me with puppy-dog eyes, and it was all over. Henry will grow up wondering why it is that he is the only one in the family who's mom crochets yet he ended up with a machine made stocking.

Other Newness for Week 50:

• Birds of Bethlehem, by Tomie dePoata - New Children's Fiction. Beautiful, and simple, age-appropriate version of the Nativity. The artwork is stunning, and I would like to add more of his work to our library in hardcover versions. This particular version tells the story of the Baby Jesus through the eyes of the birds in the nearby field. 

• We found a house to rent in VA! Yay. We rented it for the yard and the neighborhood, but the inside looks cozy and is well-insulated.

• I made gift truffles for the first time, and they turned out yummy! Here is the recipe I used, although I opted for a cocoa powder dusting rather than the toasted almonds.

Week 49: Keeping Warm and Bubbly

What's new?

A little, local craft brew tasting of FreeState ales (Lawrence, KS), perhaps? New artwork from an AMAZING (somewhat local) photographer that I stalked found on Etsy? Maybe a delicious new chicken tortilla soup crockpot recipe. Week 49 was all dangerous. That's right, folks. We like to live on the edge. As I find myself smack-dab in the middle of replacing light bulbs, cleaning fan blades, and scrubbing baseboards for our pre move-out special/ my-son-is-napping-so-must-take-full-advantage-of-this-time, I will leave it at this:

1. I have 2 friends here who wanted to commemorate their time in Kansas with some form of bison art, and I loved that idea. In my search of Midwest photographers, I found this extremely talented, Iowa native on Etsy. Please check out Scott Fairbairn Photography, should you have the time. The photo in the top left of my new things collage is a photo of his photo, which I plan on framing and find particularly stunning. I love these creatures, but this photo captured such a beautiful moment of pure texture and humility. 

2. FreeState! Ad Astra is a gorgeous, rich amber ale that I think my husband is going to fall in love with when he gets home and tries this! Unfortunately, I can only find this in a sampler pack. I would love it if I could just purchase the Ad Astra! Copperhead Pale Ale...well, friends, as I have mentioned before on this blog, I am not a fan of hoppy beers. This wasn't too obnoxiously-hoppy, but one was enough and the other 2 in the pack are going to my neighbor. And there you have it: My ultra-sophisticated tasting notes. Try to control your excitement. One item of interest is that Lawrence is only 45 minutes east and south of Fort Leavenworth, and FreeState was the first legal brewery in the State of Kansas.

3. Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe...so my friend Adrian shared this recipe with me but did not provide a source. I am not sure if this is her original or not, but it was delicious!! I made quite a few changes only because I am trying to use up the stuff in my freezer/cupboard before we move! My recipe tweaks are in (italics).

Chicken Tortilla Soup (for crockpot)
2-3 chicken breasts (used 3 turkey burger patties)
2 cans black beans
2 cans stewed tomatoes (used 2 cups fresh tomatoes)
1 can green chiles (used 1 bottle of sweet chili sauce)
1 C salsa (omitted)
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 C frozen corn
1-2 garlic cloves (used 5)
1/2 TBS chili powder
1/2 onion, chopped (did not have onion, but added 2 cups carrots, which is totally the same)
2 TBS lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp cumin (used about 4 TBS because I love cumin so much I want to marry it)
(also added 4 C chicken broth, and lots of black pepper)

Put all ingredients in crockpot (I did mine on the high setting) for 5-6 hours. Break up meat with a fork (I chopped mine) before serving. Add tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, and/or cilantro to each bowl before serving.       

Week 47: For The Kids

What's new?

I have no idea where Week 47 went, nor can I seem to do anything right now ('specially write) that does not include making up new voices for characters like dinosaurs, trolls, ogres, goats, slugs, or lichen. Bet you didn't know lichen had a voice? Bet some of you don't even know what lichen is :)

New children's fiction - Oh yes. Henry's Amma got him 2 very cute reads, Dinosailors (Lund and Pine) and Where Would I Be In An Evergreen Tree (Blomgren and Gabriel). Dinosailors is a fun, sing-songy rhyme with made up words and silly adventure, of which I am a huge fan. Where Would I Be In An Evergreen Tree is get-out-of-town-ridiculous-my-dream-of-writing-something-like-that-one-day, so I am obviously biased. It portrays the ecosystem of an old-growth tree on the coast of Washington/Oregon, is quite species-specific, and the artwork is stunning. I liked it because Blomgren doesn't just describe this ecosystem, she creates a living thing out of it. Henry loves it too, by the way. After all, these are for the kids, folks. Ahem.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff was one I got him a couple of weeks ago and forgot to include somewhere along the way. An age-old story of facing, outsmarting, and overcoming your fears, and in a time where my preschooler is constantly discovering new things to be afraid of, I thought it particularly appropriate. Plus, I do a wicked, mean troll voice, and when he gets pushed into the water, I flail around and splash and die dramatically. Again, for the kids.

What else?

Other Week 47 Newness:

• New glass salmon sculpture from my trip to the PNW. Because not only do I need more salmon art, I need more glass things since we move every 2 years.

• New concealer. Here's one I don't often write about: new makeup. Since my makeup typically consists of lotion, concealer, and blush, there isn't usually a lot to report on in the newness for this category. Neutrogena Skin Clearing concealer is a new product in this line, and since I am a sucker for trying new products and my Proactiv concealer just ran out, I picked this little goodie up. It is AMAZING!! 5/5 for covering up scars on your chin from years of picking your face. 

• New crochet projects. The little trinket above was a throw I finished for my Father-in-Law as a Christmas present using Lion Brand Thick n Chunky yarn. The oversized granny square pattern for a throw is always fun because you can finish it rather quickly.

• Henry randomly started singing Jingle Bells, which I am assuming he learned at preschool? I have also realized, now that I can understand him better, that he knows most song lyrics and cuss words. A listener, this one. 

Week 31: An Old Woman Lives in My Bones

What's New?

Most of Week 31 was spent taking a large, deep, relaxing breath, enjoying the presence of family, who played with, cuddled with, read to, built things with, pretended with, ran with, and chased after their 2.5-year old cousin/nephew/grandson. It was GLORIOUS, my friends. While this, in itself is not new, it had been a year since we made the trek up to see everyone; enough time to get homesick as hell. I never thought I would be one of those people who only saw their family once or twice per year, and I have never quite become used to it. One day, I will be back, and until then, there is a whole wide world to explore, scattering pieces of my glow-in-the-dark heart as I go.  

Week 31 newness:

• Pinchknitter Yarn! My family lives in the Camano/Stanwood, WA area, and I just now noticed this sweet little specialty yarn shoppe in Stanwood! I spoke with June for a while about their products, and she explained why bamboo textiles are actually horrible for the environment, while hemp is truly environmentally friendly. They have a TON of alpaca wool and a beautiful assortment of wool in general. I can't wait to visit this place in November when we return!

• Gooseberry Patch Freezer Recipes - I am LOVING this life-changing compilation of the art and science of freezing food. The recipes are quite fattening, I won't lie, but for whatever reason, I lose and maintain my weight MUCH easier when I eat 2-3 hearty "meat-and-potatoes" meals a day rather than snacking all day on low-calorie stuff. Casseroles and hearty stews? There goes 5 lbs. No joke. And eating this way enables me to run to my heart's content without becoming anemic or waking up at night with dumb leg cramps. There is your weight-loss lesson of the day. The bestest part about this little book though are the little tips and explanations about proper freeze/thaw techniques. A deployment MUST.      

• BABY!! SIL #3, Whitney, will soon be poppin' out a brand-new baby bee, and we very much enjoyed spending time with this new-momma-to-be at her shower. She is one hard-working woman, and we love her like crazy.

• New art (here are some photos of the new art mom brought last week). "Housetree" by Swedish artist, Mattias Adolfsson. I love his creatures and sketches as much as Hayao Miyazaki's.  

new art

Specialty yarn shoppes and and freezer recipes, goodness gracious, you'd think an 80-year old woman wrote this post! Well, maybe she did. So, in honor of all of our inner old souls, here is new poem:

An old woman lives in my bones.

She smacks her lips and clinks

her teeth against glass jars of whiskey.

Sipping, slurping, rocking.

Creaky wooden chair of 

cracks and fissures,

Rivers of time,

mapping the loves of her soul.

She clicks her tongue with closed eyes

and listens to 

the treefrog chorus.

By, Becca @Allbrandnewin52.blogspot.ccom

Week 30: The Sweet and The Sour

What's new?

Good Morning, all! Posting a day early this week, as we are headed up to the great Pacific Northwest, where our hearts are rooted deep in the moss-covered forests and where the smells of smoking salmon and never-quite-dried-out soil permeate your entire identity. A welcome getaway, after Week 30 hit us like a ton of bricks with the Praxis for Middle Grade Science. I am pretty sure I will have to retake that test, having guessed on 70/93 questions that decided to be all graduate-level chemistry and one biology question. Most of the content was not what the study guide eluded to, so really, I have no idea what my plan will be for the retake. I will know my score in 10-30 days, but I really am not being humble when I say that I don't even want to look. You know it is bad when you are praying for physics questions. Just please let there be a physics question. Or an earthquake. Or please let this be just a bad dream that I get to wake up from so I can start over. Yep. So that's that. And guess what? There are no start-overs in big kid world. You just have to keep moving forward. Breathe. Eat jars of salsa. Catch bugs with son. Lay in the grass. Sigh heavily. Watch the sun set. It won't look so bad in the morning, right? :) 

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us."
Henry David Thoreau

Thankfully, aside from that experience, Week 30 brought to Kansas, for the first time ever, my Mom (and Henry's Amma). Henry and I were so happy that she could spend some quality time here, and her presence was such a comfort to me. 

Speaking of comfort, here is a deliciously-sweet comfort food recipe that we tried and loved this week, straight from my Goosberry Patch 101 Homestyle Favorites cookbook. The original recipe was submitted by Sandie Pfeiffer, but I made a couple of slight modifications that made my Mom and I want to eat this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner:

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
1 head of cauliflower
2 small bunches of broccoli
1 cup mayo
2 tbs sherry cooking wine
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup maple-cayenne pecans (my own recipe, but you could use any candied nut)
1/2 cup finely chopped raisins
6 slices crisp bacon, chopped

Mix mayo, sherry, and sugar together. Set aside. Combine everything else into a large bowl. Add dressing mixture; mix well, and chill before serving. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of chopped red onion and plain pecans (not candied). It also had you use 1/2 the quantity of broccoli/cauliflower and 10 slices of bacon, rather than 6. I love mayonnaise and see absolutely nothing wrong with egg, canola oil, and vinegar, which comprise mayonnaise. You could use Vegannaise instead, or omit, entirely, and this would still be tasty. Also, the original recipe called for red wine vinegar, rather than cooking sherry.   

Other Week 30 newness:

• New children's fiction. Mom brought a new Jane Yolen book for Henry, which he loves. The artist is Kelly Murphy, and her little monsters are adorable and fun! Romping Monsters, Stomping Monsters is a sweet addition to our library.

• New art. Mom also brought some new art, and it is quirky and beautiful; cheery and complicated. It is by a Swedish artist done with a mixture of watercolor and pen and ink. Just what I needed! I am getting it framed right now but will include a photo as soon as I have it back.

• New wine. One of my girlfriends here on Post left a sweet and very thoughtful goodie bag on my doorstep on test day, and inside was a wine I had not previously tried: a Sweet Red (Woodbridge 2011). Has anyone had this? It was extremely sweet! Even more so than a Gewurztraminer. I would classify this as a light dessert wine, for sure. Mom thought it would be good with spicy barbeque or Thai food, and I concur.   

Week 25: Look with your Eyes, See with your Heart.

What's new?

"Look with your eyes," is something that I say to my son quite often these days :) Though I mainly say it as a command synonymous to "don't touch that!" - it is something that he understands on a deeper level than most 2.5-year olds. He genuinely seems to enjoy looking "with his eyes", and we have the most fun together reading our Eye Spy books and looking for birds and bugs. In Week 25, I was much inspired to take Henry to his first art museum. We had a blast. He surprises and impresses me with his little brain, and more and more, I love hearing what he is thinking about, as he starts to verbally express himself (though not much...I think he might take after his Daddy just a bit in that department), I find that I just want to show him the World in the way that you want to show off for someone. I want to grab his hand and present him with all of this amazing beauty and life. 

Of course, my expectations were that we were, realistically, going to probably last all of 6 minutes before we were done (because he had to be in the stroller). Not so! He really seemed to enjoy looking at all of the paintings. We tried to play a larger version of "Eye Spy" books, and it worked. He also got a kick out of the sculptures and the sound of his voice as it echoed in each room :) Some of the docents came over and commented on how well he was doing and pointed out some more cool stuff to see. We ended our hour-long visit with a trip outside, which was just an extraordinary terraced lawn/landscape with even more sculptures. I highly recommend the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, should you find yourself in the area. It is free admission, and parking is only $5.

Other Week 25 Newness:

• I received the most beautiful book of watercolors of local landscapes called, Return to Kansas. The artist is J.R. Hamil, a local who worked for Hallmark Cards for 15 years before deciding to open his own studio in 1973. His wife, Sharon Hamil, was a teacher and writer of curriculum materials in Kansas. She wrote the accompanying historical text in the book, a really wonderful gift from my peeps that just moved away. I will treasure it, always.

• We are now hamster-sitting for 5 weeks for some neighbors who are on vacation. Henry is obsessed with this mangy little thing, and I will admit, it has grown on me. She follows me around in her little ball and just mostly wants to be held. She rolls in her poo and pee, and I try not to think about it too much because she really is pretty cute. Messy little creatures...

• Henry and I are learning our owl calls. He memorized all of the species of owls in my bird book and then kept asking me what they sounded like...uh...I knew 3? So, we have spent some time on YouTube and in the Ornithology Institute's library :) 

• I learned that milk thistle greens are edible.

• Tried a new green smoothie for the week: Kale, cucumber, granny smith apple, and banana (just a little bit to sweeten, otherwise it is very "green").   

• Conducted my first interviews of preschool potentials for Henry and found one whose director I think I may have a small woman crush on who JUST SO HAPPENS to be the teacher for the 2.5-year old class! I am so excited to have found a preschool that has a 2.5-year old class that is a perfect fit for us, and we meet next week for the tour! I think Henry is going to have the best time.