sunshine

Yes.  I realize that all I've blogged lately are alternating photos of my babies.  Here's the thing ... excitement or variety doesn't come around too often in my days and, when it does, do you think I'd actually have photos to prove it?  Alas, camera batteries are not always dependable, so photos of my edible Ella will have to suffice.

We just had a really lovely weekend getaway to Swift Current to spend time with five other couples (and their kids) from bible college days.  12 adults and 8 little ones gathered in one house for the whole weekend and it was fantastic.  Pure sunshine to brighten up the winter blues!  What struck us the most was how sweet it was to see how evident God is in each of their lives and how meaningful their relationships felt as we ate together, relaxed together, swam together (big outing to the public pool - woot!), laughed over past stories and caught up with the new ones.  It was so good.  

quiet

One baby sleeping soundly + the smell of banana cake baking in the oven + one little girl being rather quiet + two scoops of flour, some sugar, a few cups of salt, half my container of cinnamon, and all the popcorn seeds = a pretty peaceful break for this mama.

smiley face

Have a happy weekend!

winky face

During an afternoon play-dough session yesterday I discovered that Avery can wink!  

It definitely takes a concentrated effort (with mixed results) ...

But she can wink.

My friend Erin posted this article recently (worth the read).  It was a great reminder to shed some of the unnecessary pressure of motherhood and soak up the little moments when the plodding clock seems to stop ticking and I find myself in Kairos time.  My goodness ... isn't she cute?

friday

Today was one of those draining, over-tired, fail of a days.  Popcorn and smoothies for lunch.  Avery in jammies until 3pm.  Frozen pizza for supper.  Couldn't keep my eyes open during any feeding time with Ella - except for the one where my Mom called, which was my mid-day highlight.  When I really can't stay awake, and my neck is hurting from snapping my head back up, we pull out the rescue remedy: Nigella on youtube.  The bonus is that Avery likes watching her too.  So we sit and get hungry and inspired together.  Avery goes off to her play kitchen and makes fancy meals - usually rice, beans and pork, but once she made a crème brûlée - and I come up with popcorn and frozen pizza.  Why do I feel like I can't get my act together?

Weekend, you are so welcome here.  Resolution #1 - get back on the meal planning train.

ella bella

I took the little one for a visit with the public health nurse yesterday.  We've done our own inaccurate weighing at home, but I was curious to find out how much she actually weighs now that she's closing in on 3 months old.  Her stats to date :: length - 23.25" and weight - 12 lb 7 oz.  Both measurements put her in the 85th percentile!  Way to go, fluffy baby!

This sweet blanket was made by my Mom.  She started it here at our house while she was here helping us out in October and finished it up by Christmas.  It's perfectly soft and cozy for our buttery little baby!

2011 book list

I managed to read 21 books in 2011.  One more than last year, so I've made progress!  The first half of my year-of-books seems a bit heavy on the unimpressive picks, but I ended up reading quite a few books that I really enjoyed through spring and summer.  Three were re-reads, and of course I threw in one token non-fiction since that seems to be the way I roll.  I'm not one to dish out written reviews with my yearly book lists, but it does seem too bare to just leave a list as it is when I'm just typing them out in order of when they were read, so I'll at least provide my own ranking that I use in my notebook.  Two stars for the ones I'd consider my top favorites of the year, one star for those I really did enjoy, and no star for those that I wouldn't recommend to anyone.  "And so, dear reader, here we go ..."

Snow Falling on Cedars - David Guterson *
The Postmistress - Sarah Blake *
Which Witch? - Eva Ibbotson
Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
The Farming of Bones - Edwidge Danticat *
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen **
Who Has Seen the Wind - W.O. Mitchell
The Secret Scriptures - Sebastian Barry
A Handful of Time - Kit Pearson
Gift from the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh **
Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie *
Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese **
New and Selected Poems: Volume One - Mary Oliver *
Follow Me - Joanna Scott
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver **
Five Quarters of the Orange - Joanne Harris *
The Help - Kathryn Stockett **
Fire in the Blood - Irene Nemirovsky
September - Rosamunde Pilcher *
The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton **
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins **

Since we visited a bookstore or two (or four) while we were in Kelowna, we came home with a happy new stack of books for the new year.  It actually made me giddy realizing that I had several new books that really excite me to decide between now that I'm ready to move onto a new book.  2012's prospects are looking at a foody biography, an indian/parisian foody novel, the rest of the hunger games trilogy, a quirky youth fantasy ... maybe a little indian child bride, a mute boy, perhaps Jane Eyre?  Cheers to a new year of good reading!  I'd love to hear what you might have to recommend for me!