Halu-Halo

A different kind of luxury

It's times like these that make me all giddy inside.

It took me a few minutes of arranging them *just so* so that I could snap a picture for you all, so that I could spread a little bit of apple-love.

Aren't they just so pretty?  So simple and pure, nurturing, and literally full-filling.  

How lucky I am to have a house full of apples, pulled right from the tree, touched only by my children's fingers.  Their skins are so thin that my toddler has no problem biting through them.  And they smell just heavenly, their scent greeting me as soon as I walk through my front door.

I think our trip to the orchard last weekend was just what I needed, with green and blue as far as I could see, with nothing to complicate or disrupt it except for the smatterings of the red and yellows of apples.  Where the thought of material, economy, expectation and competition is absent, and instead, replacing it was simply the need to run, to climb, and to just breathe in the air of just.that.moment.

These were easy moments, my children completely in their element, my Hubby relaxed, inspecting his pickings, and me just following behind when it is me usually Pushing, Cajoling, Preparing...parents - you know what I am talking about.  We didn't count our minutes, nor were there time hacks to make.  Ah, to be serenaded by a clear, beautiful day.

Perhaps it was my memories of my Lola's (grandmother's) fruit trees nourishing me on those days we were on her land which brought me some quiet. Or perhaps it might have been the way my children laughed almost the entire afternoon we picked apples which calmed my usual too-type-A personality.  But on this day, I walked away from the orchard bushels heavier.

And a hundred times richer.

Happy Monday everyone.

 

 

 

I didn't mean to do that...

...disappear, that is.  I meant to come back to report on the fabulous meeting we had here at my house for the NOVA Modern Quilt Guild, when I drank a couple of mimosas and talked quilting with some wonderful ladies.  I was so giddy that I didn't take a picture - who does that?

But the minutes ran well ahead of me and before I knew it, we were on our roadtrip vacation to upstate New York, to Lake George.  Where the ice cream ran a-plenty along with the magnificent lake views.  It rained for most of the time we were there, so while we didn't get to hit the beach, we marveled at the glorious mist covered lake and the aura it created.  Magical.

And since Hubby is a historian both by education and interest we, of course, were not lacking in our sightseeing.  I can't recall a trip where the kids haven't climbed on top of a canon, or explored the woods.  Upstate New York didn't disappoint.

And yes, we ate.

 

A lot.

But mostly we played.  

Do you love road trips as much as we do?  We have never had a DVD system in our vehicle, so it is always conversation heaven in our van.  I absolutely am convinced that the kids' vocabularies increase by a hundred fold from all of the reading they do during road trips, in addition to our games of "Name a word that starts with the letter __"

But yes, I am glad to be home, to sleep in my own bed and to cook in my own kitchen.

And to top off such a wonderful week, I was greeted by a package when I got home - a mug rug from Dani, who sent it as part of a swap we are doing at Ravelry.  

She spoiled me!  Thank you *so* much Dani for everything!  I was so thrilled to find out that she, too, is in Virginia!  I'm so tickled to know of another kindred crafty soul.

And this is a peek of the back, what cute fabric.  

I think the mug is my new favorite :)

I hope that you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  And that you have all sent good vibes, sweet wishes, or thoughtful prayers to all of our service men and women, past and present, for freedom is never free.

Have a great night, dear friends.

 

Food Challenge: Apples

I have a black thumb.  

Except for an orchid my father entrusted in my care my senior year of college which I kept alive by my true measure of sheer desperation, and these roses I brought to life, I cannot keep anything alive enough to bear fruit.

It doesn't stop me from having grandiose ideas that if I had enough planting soil, that I could grow acres of a bountiful harvest.  That I can walk into my backyard and, simply, reach up and pick fruits from trees and pull veggies from the ground that will nourish and sustain me and my family.  Just as my grandmother had accomplished, and my father has in mediumture (vs miniature...because his garden is definitaly not small) in California.

Hubby, I know you must be laughing.  

Hubby, you must know, is the keeper of the flowers in our home.  And they flourish!  We are blessed with a small front and back yard in this home and he makes me love walking up to overflowing flowers.  Whatever he places on the ground seems to grow.  Me?  Not so much.

At least I can cook, right?

So, until I can figure out how to get the farm into my backyard, I will have to take my family to the farm.

We visited Marker Miller Orchards in Winchester, and I almost kissed the ground when I got there.

Apples are our favorite fruit.  And boy, were they bountiful.  I wanted to scoop them all up and bring them home and hoard it all in my kitchen.

In the words of my son, C, "I have been waiting 8 years to do this."  (He's 8 years old, by the way)  Doesn't that make us seem like great parents?  He's such a deprived little boy.

 

We took home a bushel of apples.  Which is the most of anything perishable I have ever had in my kitchen in queue to cook, so my heart began to race at the challenge ahead.  I'm sure my kiddos can snack good portion of what we picked but I bookmarked quite a few recipes to tackle in the next week.

 

Aren't they pretty?  I can hear them from downstairs calling my name.   

 

So, first up...Apple Pie Muffins!  Forget protein for breakfast, think of the energy from the sugar in the crumb topping.  And the nutrition from the sugar infused chunks of apple inside.  It's all good, baby.

Someone pass the coffee!

Happy 10/10/10!!!!

Deja Vu

 "Was I sleeping? Had I slept?"  (Fight Club, 1999)

 

A few days ago, while nursing Baby on our bed, I looked out the window and gasped.  For a microsecond I lost my sense of time and was transported back to 2005, and instead of Baby in my arms it was R who was happily being fed while I lost myself daydreaming of the trees outside.

"It feels like I've been here before!" I yelled out to Hubby after I had regained my composure.  He was unpacking a box in one of the other bedrooms.

"Um, it's because you have!" he answered with his usual sarcasm.

I giggled in realization.

Indeed, he was right.

How many times had we driven such a long distance to a new home with Hubby taking the lead in his small sedan?  But this time, the road was familiar and comforting, bringing us back to a home we knew well once before.  What a rarity!  And I welcomed it with open arms. 

 

Because moving is hard enough, isn't it?  The unpacking, the inventory, the redecorating, the negotiating of space...the adjustment of the children, the friend-dating, the reestablishing of one's identity...all of this is so much easier when you are familiar with your physical location.  

And what a beautiful area it is.  Hello four seasons, the rich colors of fall, and the crisp winter.  Hallelujah for the tree-lined streets, and the birds that invade our backyard.  And thank goodness for the sidewalks that encourage folks to walk and enjoy the weather and the outdoors.  

Bring it, Virginia!  We're so glad to be back home!

Yearning for baby...and (admittedly) beer

A long long time ago, Hubby and I took a 4 day trip to Ireland.  Childless and quite fancy free, we rented a car and travelled from Dublin to Galway along with a friend.  While our friend golfed through this green country, Hubby and I took the time to eat, drink, sightsee, and drink some more.

I appreciate the memories now, much more than how I felt about the experience at the time.  Now as a knitter I wish I took the time to peruse the yarn shops, or even just to knock on someone's door so I can spend time with their wooly sheep.  I think I would have even spent a tourist's fortune to purchase a hand knit sweater.  

I still remember the smell of the countryside...luscious and green.  The pubs were welcoming to us, and while I paid a pretty pretty penny to ride a pony through someone's backyard (so much of a tourist trap that I am ashamed to admit it), the food and the Guinness were worth more than the heavy tips we left in gratitude.

Yum, a warm Guinness.

I tried to capture some of those memories today, on St Patrick's Day.  You can call it nesting, or a last ditch effort at feeling productive in these last 3 weeks of pregnancy (I hope it will only be 3 weeks more!)...but I decided to try my hand at an Irish Stew made with an Irish Stout, Soda Bread, and a fun Green Grog for my half Scot-Irish children.

I enjoyed the stew, loved the bread, but admittedly wish I could just have the Guinness.  

A few more weeks, right?  

When you wish upon a star...

...everything your heart desires will come to you...

  

We went on a last minute vacation, which lasted more than a few days :)

 

...Our big hurrah before the next chapter in our life commences, when we will hibernate to honor and nurture a little one.

  

It was a magical vacation indeed!!!!

(now back to our regularly scheduled blog....I am equally as glad to be home as well!)

Cravings

Dear Belly,

  

Here we are, again, the two of us, in the third trimester.  

We know this road: the return of heartburn, reflux and nausea.  The beginnings of bloating and swelling. The excitement of nesting and preparing.  And finally, the start of true cravings.

We're lucky that Hubby knows exactly what to expect, and on a quick family trip to Fredericksburg knew just how to at least satiate those hunger pangs that have taken over like a wild beast.

 

There was that Lemon Meringue from Blue Bonnet Cafe, with that perfect blend of smooth and citrus.  Do you remember that, Belly?  Everyone was all done and ready to go, but you had to have that last bite.

 

Then there was that Reuben Sandwich on rye from Wheeler's, with red cabbage and German hot potato salad.  Oh, with spicy mustard.  How we had missed German food!  It was a perfect lunch to counter the previous perfect dinner at Auslander Restaurant the night before.

My cankles are still recovering from the weinershnitzel.

And finally, from the Fredericksburg Pie Company ..

 

Cherry and Pecan Pies that we had a hard time sharing with my whole family.  It was quite the perfect way to end our adventure, with enough sugar to propel our conversation in the van for the 2 1/2 hours it took for us to get home.  

It was quite a great trip indeed.  And we have still our journey together - 12 more weeks to house and grow our little blessing.

We are lucky to go down this road again, so here's to enjoying every bit of it.

Love,

Tif

Road Trips = Solace

We took a short road trip this weekend, an almost 3 hour drive to and from a friend's home, to finally get a few miles logged into our van since moving to this part of the country.  And it has been long in coming, because we typically like to pile ourselves and our belongings to see even a small part of our environment, wherever we've lived.

When were young and child free and living in Europe, we took every weekend we could to explore the countryside, amassing photographs and memories of scavenging the hills for World War II bunkers and partaking of the local shopping.  I can't tell you how inspiring it is to walk into a shop and know immediately that the sellers are too the makers.

Hubby and I used to go to the local grocers and pack our Honda Civic with fresh bread and local deli meats and cheeses.  We spent the time in our car catching up with one another, sometimes bickering, and we worked on our marriage through these road trips.  There was no one to save us or give us advice.  It was he and I on the road, and eventually, at the trip's end we found our own resolutions which made us stronger as friends.  I, with my travel guide and map, and he, following (or questioning) my directions, we navigated through the misunderstandings we had as a young couple.  It was as if we saved all of our issues until we only had each other and there was no choice to speak.

I suppose this is why he and I still look forward to road trips today.  Though now with 3 more in tow and so much baggage in addition, we still find that solace of getting to know one another again as each mile passes.  And while our van is not full of the prosciutto we remember so well, the fruit snacks and granola bars we throw around is sufficient enough, not to mention the coffee we have come to be addicted to with three rambunctious children.  And instead of multilingual paraphernalia on my lap, I now have my knitting on the ready for those quiet moments of understanding.

It is these things that make my life full.

Good Things Happen in 3's too

1.  Three books in 3 weeks,  

I was working on the Isabel Allende novel for a while now, and then finally finished Ines of my Soul the first couple of days of our moving extravaganza.  Isabel again weaved a masterpiece in my eyes, but in truth, her novels are so intricate and intense, I can only usually read a chapter or 2 at a time.  I often put the book down and take a deep breath, as if to swallow what I had read.  Ms Allende is one of my literary heroes.  I imagine that if my Lola (grandmother) Eppie were alive, she would tell me similar stories in the same tone  and language.

Anita Shreve surprised me with A Wedding in December.  I read her first 2 books but felt the endings were anticlimactic, and while I felt like I again did not receive the closure I needed I found that the mini plots she developed brought me through to the end.  Lots of talk of adultery in this book, I forewarn you.

Rise and Shine was probably the most entertaining of the three, with Anna Quindlen totally knocking my socks off with her humor and wit, not to mention with the uncanny way she  introduced turns in the plot.  This was my first go at one of her novels and I plan to look for her next time I am at bookstore.  I took a chance at this book because it was in the bargain bin.

2.  Mailed three days late- a doll quilt for a summer swap, completed while on the move.

Designed prior to baggage pick up and cut with the self healing mat on the floor.  Sewed and quilted while standing up.  I was proud of myself for getting this done despite the challenges.

A big lesson learned with this one: Not all muslin are created equal.  As I was quilting, I noticed that the muslin became so so sheer that the folded printed fabric showed through from underneath the fabric. I hope my swap partner won't be too disappointed.  I have however, already decided to send her a fall doll quilt (using better muslin).

3.  And Finally --- my sweet R is now Three, or as she says :  "Fweee".  Her first dollhouse...

 

I cried on her birthday, as I do with every one of her birthdays.  With her birth all of my Faith strengthened by a hundred-fold.  I am sad she is getting older; some of you might find that ridiculous.  When I look at her, I see innocence and beauty, and I want to protect her with every part of me. 

We finally received our household goods yesterday.  Time to arrange the chaos.

Thanks for looking!

Pook Pag-asa : A Hopeful Spot, a Place of Hope

A family of 5 plus dog + 2 vehicles + 22 hours behind the wheel = A long road home

But well worth it. 

Our dear friends in Alabama gave us shelter to break up the drive, but otherwise Hubby and I were focused on getting Home.

Pook Pag-asa (a place of hope) is what we named our new piece of land and home.  It has a nice ring to it, and just the perfect message and declaration as we face the long Army-life road ahead.  Because the Home should bring Hope, right?  Thank you Daddy (my father) for bringing her walls to life with her name.

We still sit in camp chairs and wait for our baggage.  I am typing on the floor, but our home is already filled with the spirit of our family.  The kids' noises already have well been heard outside its walls.  We have fully occupied and trampled on the front and back yard. 

Might as well break it all in before the boxes come and the unpacking commences.

And thankfully, sweet Sugar has decided that she likes it here too.

And if you must ask - I have one of my sewing machines here to keep me occupied :) . 

Texas, we are home.