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Confessions of a lazy wannabe homesteader

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Caroling, caroling

December 14, 2014 Marie Leave a Comment


palace2 palace1 IMG_9633

There was a free holiday sing-a-long at the local theater today, so off we went and tucked ourselves into a small side aisle just in case we needed to dash out to the lobby with the baby if he started fussing. The afternoon was a mix of listening to the organists play on the old Wurlitzer and sing-a-long songs. The first one we sang was Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town and I had to fight back tears. I don’t know what, exactly, it was that made it happen, but I hit this super emotional wall and had to fight to maintain control or else I was going to be a sobbing mess and the other people around me would probably think I’m crazy.

I read this today, and I think I’m going to post it somewhere where I might see it a lot. I need to read this over and over again. I need to read it when I’m panicking about things not being perfect and just right. I need to read it when I try to make things perfect and they fail. Over, and over, and over again.

But this year while the world rushes around you, may you hold your sweet baby in your arms and realize that on this first Christmas, your baby will find no greater joy than in you. Because you are Mommy and you make everything beautiful just by being you.

Tomorrow… tomorrow I finish up wrapping presents. They’re not the handmade holiday gifts like I have always imagined I’d give – there’s no time with a job and a little one – but so far I can at least say that the holidays are shaping up, in other ways, just as I had long hoped and dreamed for.

Featured, Posts family, holidays, link love, Little Mr, Me, out & about, winter

Dinner traditions

September 9, 2014 Marie Leave a Comment

dinner

Sometimes something comes across my social media feed that really, truly speaks to me. This article from Serious Eats does just that.

“On my thirty-third birthday, I took to Facebook:

So here’s what Joe and I have decided to do, in my 33rd year, to make our lives happier: we are instituting a new tradition we call Friday Night Meatballs. Starting next Friday, we’re cooking up a pot of spaghetti and meatballs every Friday night and sitting down at the dining room table as a family—along with anyone else who’d like to join us. Friends, neighbors, relatives, clients, Facebook friends who’d like to hang out in real life, travelers passing through: you are welcome at our table. We’ll just ask folks to let us know by Thursday night so we know how many meatballs to make. You can bring something, but you don’t have to. Kids, vegetarians, gluten-free types, etc. will all be taken care of. The house will be messy. There might be card and/or board games. There might be good Scotch. You might be asked to read picture books. You might make new friends. We’ll just have to find out. This is our little attempt to spend more time with our village. You’re invited.”

Having dinner nights with friends has always been something I’ve wanted to do. I’ve always adored the idea of it, and I’m always envious when I see others are doing it with their own circle of friends. But it always seemed like something that would immediately fail – I tend to think the worst and therefore I assume that no one will want to come hang out with us.

Last month I invited my sister and her kids over for dinner. Nothing fancy – we grilled a whole chicken out on the charcoal grill and made potato wedges and I had purchased strawberries and angel food cakes for dessert. It was really casual and laid back and not fancy by any means. My sister even helped me make freezer enchiladas to have on hand for after the baby was born while we waited for the chicken to get done. Yesterday, a month later, my sister hosted. She made salad and some delicious baked chicken and brownies for dessert.  It’s far from the big group event the article reflects, but it’s our own little dinner tradition we decided to start up. Next month is my turn to host, and this time I’m inviting a friend from the neighborhood and her family, too – her son is my niece’s age so they’ll get to spend time together and have a little play date. It’s small, but it’s a start. And it gives me an excuse to host dinner and get together with friends. It might grow, it might not. But I kind of love what we have going.

I just have to decide what I’m going to cook for next month’s meal.

Featured, Posts family, food, link love

Hats, Thanksgiving, and other Monday ramblings

November 19, 2012 Marie Leave a Comment

Charity hats #1 and 2. White one is Twistygoo, black and white one is Hadley. That’s 2 down, 8 more to go (with one kid-sized one on the needles currently).

It’s hard to believe that we’re in the final days before Thanksgiving. We’re hosting again this year, which means a lot of cleaning going on as well as a lot of stress. I’m sure the family doesn’t care if the house isn’t spotless, but I clean like they do regardless. I’ve decided this year to make my life a tad easier, so I’m just doing the turkey and stuffing (oh, and homemade cranberry sauce) and requested everyone else bring a dish or two. Last year I made sides and by the time everyone brought their own dishes we had too much food and not enough counter space!

Other things/ramblings:

  • Finally getting back into running after taking 6 months off after my 5k in May. Might even be getting the Mr to join me this time around! It’s probably too much to hope that we’ll be running 5k’s together come Spring.
  • Ran across The Life Less Bullshit Manifesto today and I’m in love. Both with the manifesto and the author.
  • In line with the manifesto’s “spend less time obsessing and more time actually doing” idea, I decided to dump a chore I absolutely hate: planning dinners/grocery lists for the week. So I signed up with eMeals. Every week I’m now getting my grocery list emailed straight to me so I don’t have to think of it. No more trolling the internet looking for food inspiration when I really just don’t care so long as its healthy/not full of processed crap.
  • Ikea! Oh, Ikea! Took a trip Saturday to visit and came home with a new shower curtain, some new towels, a new memory-foam pillow (which was annoying the first night, but I’m adjusting and my neck is thanking me). I did not come home with the Strandmon chair I saw and immediately wanted. I was incredibly tempted, however.
  • Racking off my 2nd batch of hard cider today! Or maybe bottling. I need to taste it and see. Trying to decide what next to brew. Mead, maybe?

Posts fall, holidays, homebrewing, knitting, link love, running

Friday Five

August 17, 2012 Marie Leave a Comment

1. This roving is calling my name.

2.  This hat is also calling my name, to be made after aforementioned roving is spun and 3-plied to blend the colors oh so lovely-like.

3. These stories have been absolutely fascinating, especially the ones on Christmas:

“Christmas always meant stockings filled with an orange, apple, tangerine, banana, nuts and a candy cane. We felt so lucky! We made gifts for each other at school and I always drew violets in the snow on my cards – no doubt a harbinger of ‘a season of Spring’ eventually rising from the ‘winter’ of our conditions then. ”
– Joy Thomas, age 80, Canfield

“At Christmas time, you didn’t get toys. You had homemade stockings with fruit and hard candy… All family took trains to get to be with us for Christmas. It lasted a whole week.”
– Margaret O. Brawley, age 86, Youngstown

4. These labels, because I envision using them as the finishing touch on this year’s holiday gifts I’m beginning to plan.

5. These bookmarks, because I love the little stories they tell from piece to piece.

 

Posts link love

Late night cravings

February 25, 2012 Marie Leave a Comment

NyQuil lies, y’all. LIES, I tell you. Here I am, exhausted, achy, congested, and absolutely miserable and all I want is a few nice, peaceful hours of sleep. But no. I’m awake. Wiiiiiiide awake.

What’s a girl to do with zero energy late at night? Troll food recipes, of course. Which isn’t helping the fact that didn’t even eat dinner tonight, or the fact that my teeth hurt so bad from today’s trip to the dentist that the idea of grinding my teeth to eat gives me chills. Perhaps tomorrow I’ll feel better and take on something from this list?

  • Tuscan Lemon Muffins to use up the ricotta I made
  • Orange Walnut Cake, though I wonder how lemon would taste instead? Especially with fresh whipped cream.
  • Chocolate granola bars because I’m nearly out of my bulk-sized box of store-bought ones.
  • Homemade bagels
  • Homemade biscuits, which I have yet to get the hang of enough to feel comfortable with whipping up a batch for Breakfast Sundays.
  • Galette, to use up the frozen raspberries from my parents’ garden.
  • Coconut muffins. Because I’m addicted to coconut and I’d have these suckers all to myself.

There seems to be a trend here: carbs, carbs, and more carbs. I should probably go eat a piece of toast now.

Posts food, link love

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