Our lazy, fruit-filled August days...

I forgot to post a whole bunch of photos and happenings last week.  Or maybe it was the week before.  Akh.  I've hit that magic number of something - whatever it is that makes you lose your mind.  Kids, years, who knows.  

We just came back from our spot in Michigan.  Our retreat, our oasis just outside of the world.  That monastery is a piece of heaven.  They all are.  But this time, I felt that our visit was too short.  I felt that there was more that needed digesting, more than needed to be said.  But just like that, we were back on the road coming home and I was left with more questions than when I came.  Perhaps that is the way of things.  There was something different about this visit.  Something more solemn to me.  I am still mulling it over.  Digesting.  

Apple picking season starts very very soon.  Not soon enough for my little ones.  But here were are almost at the end of August.  I am not ready to say goodbye to the summer just yet.  We have a few more things that need doing.  

Today I made yogurt for the first time in months.  Definitely since baby M came things have been different, routines dropped or changed, and disorder rampant.  It's not her, bless her little heart.  She's a darling; a ray of sunshine.  Even the older ones dote on her.  It's just that life has to be rearranged with babies.  :)  But now we have yogurt.  And labneh!  Dany is very happy.  I don't usually make labneh.  I never grew up with it, so it's hard to remember to make it!  (Not like I notice it's missing until I really want it...)  

Did ever mention that I thank God for good neighbours?  Well I do!  Last week, one of our neighbours down the hall dropped off some of their extra basil, chives and blueberries.  How sweet!  The kids just devoured the berries.  I thought maybe we'd make something - a blueberry lemon loaf cake, or even a pie.  Nope and nope.  They didn't have a chance those berries.  I can't say I was upset.  Fresh fruit just belongs to summer.  We've been enjoying lots of peaches.  In fact, tomorrow we'll pick up another basket at the market.  I love summer Wednesdays. 

I have been painting these past two weeks.  It is heaven to be back at the brushes.  Of course, I have other things pulling at my time.  Namely a sweet, drooling baby who's crawling!  :) Oh those teeth.  They are cute, but bought at a price.  Sleep is the price.  :)  

On that note, I'd best be off to bed.  Who knows how many times I'll be waking up to kiss those sweet cheeks tonight.  (Actually, to be completely honest, I am not always fully awake when I "wake up" with her...)  Sweet dreams world!

Reading, animals and other summer adventures

Last time I posted I referred to the long weekend we just had as "Family Day".  Family Day is in February.  Apparently.  (And that is why I'm not in charge of anything important.)  It wasn't Family Day, just a Civic Holiday.  Oh well.  We still had our own "family day" and enjoyed it together!

Our city libraries have been on strike this summer.  Until now that is.  At last the doors are open again and we shall make our way there tomorrow to collect some new books.  The kids especially are eager to stock up on some audio books.  We've missed them.  And perhaps find out if the summer reading club will continue this year?  All good things to look forward to when you're 3 and 5 and 7.   (Baby M likes books too, but she prefers to gum them instead of read them.  We're working on that.)

We spent an afternoon at Black Creek Pioneer Village.  No pictures from the Village here, but lots of memories.  I recall a lot of impromptu insect studies.  An especially large ant, an enormous fly, a hiding spider... little eyes notice little things.  Also, the animals were a big hit.  The kids just love animals.

Speaking of animals, we went to a farm this past weekend for the afternoon, and the kids just gravitated towards the livestock.  As you can see, they enjoyed a donkey ride.  Feeding a horse clumps of grass was also promptly executed by three willing volunteers.  They felt there wasn't enough food for the horse in her yard.  :P  How funny children are.  I am trying my best to sit back and let them "unfold" a bit instead of constantly restraining or checking them.  It's also part of me trying to understand them.  Each child is a huge puzzle to me.  Why does one adore horses while the other is ga-ga over tractors?  Each is so different, yet they share many similarities as well.  (I may never get the hang of this parenting thing!)

I love these monkeys!  Gotta love a good tire swing.  This one reminded me of those old fashioned swings that swing out the barn door into the sky beyond!  It actually does swing out the door, and while I have been trying to let the kids "unfold", I wasn't ready for a broken arm.  So, we kept it tame.  Plenty of time for them to discover the joys of jumping from the hayloft on a tire swing on their own.  For now, they enjoyed the swinging without the jumping.  :)

I've been stumped as to what project to pick up next.  I've been teaching a bit of crocheting to one of the kids, so I have a dishcloth I'd like to finish off, but I have no idea what to do next.  A quilt feels like a wonderful project to start!  But I am simultaneously gravitating towards the paints.  Oh I feel the pull of those colours - silent, strong, relentless.  Or maybe they both need a turn together?  Ah, I am making myself dizzy.  Tomorrow is another day to decide.  In the meantime, I have a few printing and laminating jobs to finish.  And there's that pegboard that needs to go up...  (oh, housework, how I love thee...)

This post has been a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  Sort of what life is like for me I guess.  Lots of ups and downs.  Lately a few downs.  :(  I don't particularly enjoy them, though I see their merit once I've passed through the tunnel.  What seems to help most is staying busy.   I actually made some vegan burgers the other day.  I think they were good, but could benefit from a little tweaking.  You know that feeling?  When you know you're on to something good, but it's just not there yet?  Ya, that.

Oh, and when did this darling 3 year old get so big?  Just edible.  Except when she's whining.  Then she drives me nuts!  Just my luck that she's got this "whine-y" voice thing going.  We're working on that - for MY sanity more than anything else!

Wishing you a sunny, warm and relaxing weekend!

A few firsts

We had a delicious long weekend visiting our dear family.  It was full to the brim of goodness.  And lots of firsts.  First time milking a cow, first time riding a pony, first time mucking out stalls, first time travelling by night.  For the record, all our firsts turned out to be wonderful experiences.  (Whew!)

   

By the way, raw milk is everything it's cracked up to be and more!  It's so creamy and rich and delicious!  Tastes different than the store bought kind, even the 3%.  And when you're the one who's milked the cow, you know pretty much all you need to know about your milk.  :)  The kids drank lots of milk.  They even had homemade frozen yogurt.  Yum!  I think that was one of S's favourite parts.  

This my farmer boy.  And what a funny sight for me as I find that usually he won't go near the source of any bad odours.  Not so here.  Did I mention how much I want a farm?  A mama can dream.  Although the bug situation was absolutely incredible!  So many bugs!  Flies, mosquitoes, you name it!  All around.  All the time.  Poor M got eaten alive. 

My equestrian children.  They couldn't get enough rides.  I think they must have ridden for at least an hour.  Enough for me to put the baby to bed and take a nap myself.

With all the fresh air, space and love, the kids were really in heaven.  My heart was so full there.  We all seem to find a sort of inner rest in Panagia's garden.  

We drove back during the night and the kids conked out for at least the last 2 hours.  And I must admit I did too.  Thank goodness D was our trusty driver.  He never disappoints.  I feel blessed to have him around so much.  

Hope you had a lovely weekend too!

Small victories

It's hard to believe that my last post was 10 days ago.  It feels like months ago!  The days fly by, but then again, sometimes not very much gets done.  That is the last weeks of pregnancy, my friends.  What a battle I've been having trying to be productive!  Thankfully (and I say that wholeheartedly!) there have been some highlights.  At least, not everything has fallen by the wayside, though I often have to be content with cleanliness as opposed to cleanliness AND tidiness.  Small victories.  

It still amazes me how much time I need to spend in the kitchen to get things done.  The food prep takes some time, but there are dishes, cleanup, planning, and maintenance (like cleaning out the fridge for example) on top of it.  Usually, I try not to spend every day in the kitchen cooking.  (Otherwise, I wouldn't get very much else done.)  So that means I have to a) make several meals at the same time or b) make larger quantities to last as leftovers.  I usually follow plan b, but I'm ok with a every now and then.

For Thursday we had Shepherd's pie - the gravy bubbling up through the crusty potato layer.  I can't believe I don't make it more often.  Can't go wrong with meat and potatoes.  :)  There was some grocery shopping that happened yesterday and I could barely fit everything in the fridge.  Not a good sign.  So today was organization time.  I actually managed to clean most of the fridge, sort, reorganize and use up mostly everything in there.  Sometimes things get "lost" in the fridge and I have to throw them out in the end because they've spoiled by the time I find them.  I always feel badly about that.  Terrible really.  I really am such a scatterbrain at times.  

Anyhow, our fridge is stocked with delicious, healthy food for the week; ice cold wedges of watermelon, juicy oranges, a drawer of crunchy apples, peppers waiting to be stuffed and baked, some leftover Shepherd's pie, beets waiting to be roasted and sprinkled with the last of the feta cheese, homemade yogurt, hardboiled eggs.  Oh, and the chicken I need for tomorrow's molokheye.  (How do I describe that... it's like eating a soup of jute leaves boiled in chicken broth and eaten over rice.)  D has been requesting it all week, and so how can I not try to spoil him a little?  He is shouldering so much around here.  What a champ.

And then there is the new quilt.  I have started cutting squares.  Every day or two, as the case may be, I cut about a dozen.  Slow going.  That's ok.  The pace suits me right now.  :)  I don't know when I'll get to that dress I've been wanting to, but I have the pattern and the material, so it's just a matter of opportunity.  Right now, I'm just thankful the laundry is done (and folded).  Like I said before, small victories.

I have a need at this point to focus on those.  The small steps.  They help me realize that life is still vibrant, that we are still thriving (though perhaps to a lesser degree?).  When we took a walk to the park the other day in the evening, I couldn't help stopping to listen to the crickets starting to chirp, to see the birds settle, to feel he heat ease and watch the whole of creation take on a softer, muted hue as it readied for nighttime and rest.  Small things that might pass you by as you hurry to catch up with two very energetic little ones on their bikes.  But I am so glad I caught them.  It made the whole walk more beautiful, contemplative in a profound way.  "How glorious are thy works, O Lord, in wisdom hast thou made them all." 

So, we went on a rather spur-of-the-moment journey to the Dormition monastery last weekend.  I think it was providential.  The kids had just started school and were slow to adjust to the new rhythm thrown at them.  We needed that time together away.  They were showered full of love, of acceptance, of beauty.  Lots of little trips around, some talking with the nuns or Fr. John, feeding the chickens, making new friends.  It seems there are always friends to be made at the monastery.  :)  On Saturday night they had vigil as usual.  After Vespers, we took the little ones back to the guesthouse and got them ready for bed.  D was pretty bushed, having been up early, so he got ready with them.  Once they were in bed, I got ready to go back for the rest of the service.  Suddenly, M's small voice came: Can I come too?  I was surprised.  (Let's face it, how many times does a child ask to go to church when the service is long and it is dark?)

We went together for a beautiful 45 minutes.  He lay quietly on the floor, looking as if he was literally absorbing what was happening around him.  Towards the end, he started to nod off, but he managed to by fully awake for the final benediction.  I think he was proud of himself as we walked back together outside.  (I certainly was!)  Anyways, suddenly he looked up and saw the entire expanse of darkened sky illumined with stars.  "Mom, look at the stars!  There are thousands of them!"  (We cannot see the stars very well because of the city lights, so I think that was the first time he's seen the stars from the country.)  He was so full of wonder at the night sky.  For that alone, the entire trip was worth it.  There were no words shared as we walked back together.  I think our hearts were too full for talking.

And even now, my heart is full.  Full of so many thoughts, of emotions, of what has been and what is now.  I pray my heart stays full of these memories because they are a help through rougher waters.  Wishing you too a full heart and a goodnight.

Weekending, monkey bars, and other tidbits

How time flies.  It is almost September.  Almost the last week of August.  I thought we just started the summer!  To be fair, it has been a wonderful summer, despite the fickle weather.  And by fickle, I mean weather that can't make up its mind as to whether or not it's August or May.  C'est la vie.  We have lots of indoor activities (like chess, and tic-tac-toe and toy car washes on the balcony) for inclement weather.  But my favourites are those outdoor times where the kids play for hours and we lose track of the time and the day stretches out gently.  

But the weekends have been lovely.  I must say.  And full.  Full of visits to the zoo, outdoor BBQs in the park, canoeing, playing soccer, practicing monkey bars, swimming and just about everything that makes summer special for little ones.  (Incidentally, we don't seem to have much trouble getting them to bed after these excursions.)  And yet somehow, these adventures don't make things feel busy or even remotely chaotic.  Perhaps we take a low-key approach, or maybe the excursions we have allow for us to relax together.  Or perhaps it's because during the week, we are mostly homebodies aside from the daily park visits or nature walks, so when the weekend comes we have the energy to go forth.  I don't know.  But I'm glad.  I emphatically dislike feeling stretched too thin.  And the more kids we have, the more stretched life gets.  At least we can control some parts of it.  D and I have always felt that it is important for the kids not to be rushed around from one thing to the next without time to absorb, process and just enjoy life.

So when I say practicing monkey bars is part of our summer, I am dead serious.  This 6 year old boy is just enamoured with those bars.  He wasn't able to do them at the beginning of the summer.  But he practiced and practiced.  (Every park we went to had to have monkey bars for him to practice on!)  And now he can do them.  Oh what pride and joy lit up that sweet face as he kept showing us how he could swing himself back and forth.  We keep telling him it was because he never gave up, and I think that resonated with him.  A good life lesson to take away from monkey bars.  :)

We received a present from one of our neighbours last week.  A pot of mint.  Such a nice gift!  It is sitting happily on our balcony alongside the spinach and parsley.  Our parsley has been getting haircuts quite regularly and I love being able to step out to the balcony whenever I need some.  Puts a whole new meaning on the word "fresh".  

My two-year old is quite a character, as you can see.  She likes to do everything the other two can.  And boy does she make it known when she's not happy.  It's kind of funny watching her pull her older sister or brother in the wagon for example.  Or try to run along when they have races.  She thrives on routine and order.  But what a fun girl to have around.  I can always count on her to be game for whatever craftsy, artsy project I do.  :)  

And because I am just brain dead right now, I will take my leave.  So much to do on my list this week to get the kids ready for school!  Hoping you enjoy the final days of August and summer. 

Break (not that kind...)

Just came back from Michigan and the monastery there.  Another wonderful, though last-minute trip. So wonderful to see how God's providence orchestrates even the smallest details of our lives.  In the middle of Lent, a call to come.  And so we came.  And here we are, back again from our weekend break and wonderfully recharged.

It's March break now and M is home for the week.  That is a treat for us.  The kids have lots planned for the week.

First off, a treasure hunt.  Preferably in a sandy or earthy area.  (Very good for digging.)  Then a map will be drawn to show all locations where treasure was found.  Then, some carving.  Probably a house built - a real log cabin in the woods, if you please.  And of course a picnic, a trip to visit the cousins, and the maple syrup festival.  I don't know if I got it all down, but you get the idea.  Very creative plans have been fermenting in little minds...

I doubt I'll be around much in the coming week or two for that matter.  (What's new?)  There has been a little school work going on despite the warmer weather.  The kids are learning arabic, so there was a new alphabet board we made.  :)  Not really inspiring perhaps, though it sure is pur-tty to me...

Also, we opened the last jar of peaches canned from last summer.  So good.  So good.  Summer in a jar.  The kids ate a bowl for breakfast.  Then they quickly began planning how many jars we needed to can this year.  Hilarious to listen to.

I know there aren't many photos of creative pursuits these days.  We've put aside a lot of things during Lent.    Sewing, crocheting, crafting, art.  It's not so much for lack of time, though Lord knows how often that is the case.  It's more like an almost unconscious movement towards inner stillness?  A desire to meet Him in the silence after the storm - or perhaps the silence in the midst of the storm.   It seems like there may be a moment here and there.  Most of the time though, there is more reading, more services, more contemplation.  A special season  of the year set aside for just that.

May your week be blessed.

Weekending

This past weekend was a long weekend and we had planned a trip to rural Quebec to visit a Greek Orthodox monastery out there.  It is a dear place to us.  I grew up near that area for a couple years, so my sisters and I spent a lot of time there as children.  Needless to say, seeing my own children playing there now is a very beautiful and profound thing.  

The huge property is nestled in the woods in a rather remote location.  In the spring and summer and fall, it is stunning and colourful and in full flower.  But in the winter time, it is quieter, practically still, with the snow covering the earth in a white blanket and muffling all sound.  With so little movement from nature, it is a place for solitude, for prayer, for contemplation.  

Of course, I forgot the camera so no hard evidence.  (That always bums me out!)  And of course the kids had an unforgettable time!  Another bummer not to have pictures to remember them by!  There was lots of time spent with dogs and cats, a few pony rides, a visit to the cows and chickens, lots of wonderful indoor conversations around the wood burning fires, hot chocolate with the sisters, visits to the their workshops, a promise of carving lessons in the future for a certain little man, and two little girls crawling all over the kitchen playing doggie.  All of this surrounded by such love and warmth and care from the sisters.  They really are our sisters.  And mothers.  The kids soaked up their attention and love.  They did not want to leave.  (I won't lie, the animals were a huge attraction too...)  They don't usually like leaving those sacred places.  Truly Panagia's garden.  

We came home today, but we are not here just yet.  Our hearts have to have some time to come back with us.  A nice fish dinner helped.  But we are tired from the trip and tired from not enough sleep.  I bid you goodnight and wish you much rest.