A Mom's Year

Creating a comfortable life one moment at a time

Archives for September 2011

Happy Weekend

{ BHG }

Fall is such a busy time. I’m not complaining, though, because it’s mostly fun stuff. And it’s absolutely gorgeous around here this time of year. But I sure wish I had a just a few more hours every day. I’m sure I’m not alone.

This weekend we’re hosting not one but two birthday parties. First up is Lexie’s. She decided not to have a theme and wants to keep it simple. Fine by me! So the girls will play a few games (including the ever-popular Chocolate Game, which I’ll share next week in case you’re not familiar with it), make some lip gloss, design their own pizzas, and do a little karaoke. The second party is for Great-Grandma Marilyn. My mother will be making her delicious Italian sausage soup, so I’ll be sure to post the recipe for that, too.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and that you’ll come back on Monday. In the meantime, here are some fun links:

Preserving Memories the Easy Way / Simple Diaries

Yesterday Will was reminiscing about something that happened in his “late sevens.” (He’s in his “late eights” now.) Which reminded me that I need to remember to write things down. We all think we’ll remember every interesting tidbit of our days, but new things keep squishing out the old. There’s only so much room in the brain.

And there’s only so much time in the day. Which is why I love my grandma’s collection of five-year diaries. The entries are short and sweet and get right to the heart of what’s going on in her life. They’re also very useful for winning arguments with Grandpa Tony. I’ve written about this before, but it’s so fun when Grandma calls me and reads special diary entries, like the one from the day I got married or when one of the kids were born.

Grandma says the secret to keeping up with a diary is to make sure it’s in a handy spot. She keeps hers on a table next to the sofa in the living room. When she sits down in the evening to watch TV, she writes that day’s entry. She always jots down the weather then writes a few sentences about what she did that day.

Five-year diaries are surprisingly difficult to find, so I was thrilled to find this one from Chronicle Books.

[Read more…] about Preserving Memories the Easy Way / Simple Diaries

Dealing with Mud-Mind

Years ago, a friend who works in the health realization branch of psychology shared a concept that seriously changed how I look at life.

It’s called “mud-mind” and here’s how it works. Think of a time recently when you felt great. Maybe you were happily immersed in work, or out for a run, or surrounded by people you love. Maybe you were playing the piano or petting your dog or digging in your garden. Your mind felt clear and sparkling. Life was good.

Now think of a time when you didn’t feel so great. Maybe you were fighting with your partner or feeling frustrated with your life or reading someone’s political rant on Facebook. Your mind felt anxious and upset and angry. Life was not so good.

At the top of this page is a photo of a jar filled with dirt and water. This jar represents your mind. The water is your brain when it’s clear and sparkling and full of positive thoughts. The dirt represents all the negative thoughts that flit in and out of your brain throughout the day.

[Read more…] about Dealing with Mud-Mind

Georgia Pecan Apple Bundt Cake

My cousin got married on Saturday in a beautiful outdoor ceremony. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed thoughtful and artistic touches, a delicious dinner, and lots of dancing. Lily even got to be a flower girl, and she scattered rose petals along the grassy walkway with deep solemnity.

What does an apple cake have to do with a wedding? Well. I am related to some very special people. Even though she was in the midst of her daughter’s wedding, my aunt remembered that Lexie’s birthday was the next day and had a card and gift waiting for her at our table. The look on Lexie’s face was priceless. And another aunt sent us home with a big bag of apples from her tree.

When autumn rolls around and I have extra apples on hand, I always make Grandma Campobasso’s Georgia Pecan-Apple Bundt Cake. It has all the things I love most—family and tradition and coziness—all bundled into a pecan-filled, caramel-covered package.

[Read more…] about Georgia Pecan Apple Bundt Cake

Living Under the (Parental) Influence

{ You can climb a tree in a dress, but it’s probably harder. }

Lily has always preferred to wear dresses. I’ve been quite proud of this. As someone whose go-to outfit is a pair of jeans and a Favorite T from the Gap, I’ve happily basked in her reflected glory. When other mothers tell me that their daughters want to know why they can’t wear dresses every day like Lily, I make polite noises but inside I’m pleased to be associated with such a little style icon.

I should have known it wouldn’t last.

This morning I stood in front of Lily’s closet and asked which dress she wanted to wear.

“I don’t want to wear a dress,” she said.

“What?!” I gasped, looking at the row of darling new dresses I got on sale at Lands End. “What do you want to wear?”

“Jeans,” she said. “And a shirt.”

A better person than I wouldn’t have grumbled about buying new dresses for no reason. A truly supportive mother would have cheerfully let her daughter wear what she wanted and encouraged her to just be herself. But there’s the rub: is Lily being herself or is she being like all the other kids? Or worse—is she being like me?

[Read more…] about Living Under the (Parental) Influence

Glamping Party

I was looking for ideas for Lexie’s birthday party and came across this Glamping (glamorous + camping) Party by Elissa of One Stone Events featured on Hostess with the Mostess. With everything going on right now, I can’t imagine going all out like Elissa did for this party, but it might be fun to try a few of the ideas. I like the tater tots in embellished tin cans, the fiery cupcakes, and the lantern and birch “garland.” I’ll run it by Lexie and see what she thinks—it might be the right combination of tomboy and girlie for our soon-to-be 11-year-old.

You can find more photos and details here.

Sweet Paul’s Fall Issue

The newest issue of Sweet Paul is available online. I sat down this morning, coffee in hand, to read it and couldn’t scroll through the pages fast enough. Gorgeous photography, creative ideas galore (homemade dog shampoo, an indoor camping party, silhouettes), and tons of great recipes (Mexican crab soup, thyme-roasted chicken with pears, Nordic apples and cream). Plus a few stories to inspire you (my favorite is “The Apple Cider That Will Cure the World”).

Happy reading!

Keeping Our Childhood Pacts

Painting of child writing

{ Henriette Browne, A Girl Writing; The Pet Goldfinch, ca. 1870. Victoria and Albert Museum. }

I stayed up far too late last night finishing The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. But I don’t care because it was worth it and, anyway, that’s why God invented coffee.

When I learned that Alan Bradley was a bit of a late bloomer, having published his first novel when he was 70, I suspected we might be kindred spirits. When I read that his 11-year-old protagonist’s late mother had Anne of Green Gables in her collection, I was pretty sure of it. (I don’t know if L. M. Montgomery coined the phrase “kindred spirit,” but Anne said it a lot.) When I got to Mr. Bradley’s acknowledgements and he actually used the phrase “kindred spirit,” I knew for sure.

One of the best things about kindred spirits is that they usually introduce you to other kindred spirits. In his acknowledgments, Mr. Bradley thanked mystery writer Louise Penny, describing her as “a Dagger winner herself, whose warm generosity and encouragement is exemplified in the beacon her website has become for aspiring writers.”

I ran right over to Ms. Penny’s website and I’m so glad I did. Among the encouraging things she wrote was this:

If you’ve actually finished your first book, well, you’re AMAZING! You’re already so far ahead of the pack they can barely see your dust! Most people never even start that first book. Of the few that do, most never finish. If you’ve actually finished, well done! Frankly, as far as I’m concerned, the pact you made with yourself, probably as a child, is complete. You wrote the book. You did it. And, if it’s never published you should have no regrets. I’m serious. You’ve accomplished something most people only dream of.

I love this part: …the pact you made with yourself, probably as a child, is complete. You wrote the book.

Louise Penny nailed that one on the head. Writing a book is definitely the kind of dream that begins in childhood. Reading her words, it really hit me that keeping a promise you made to yourself as a child is a powerful thing, no matter what the world thinks about it.

Since nearly every person I know is not a writer, I’m curious about the pacts other people made with themselves when they were children. Was it a creative endeavor? Did it involve helping people or changing something in the world? Do you remember making the pact and, if so, have you kept it?

{If you didn’t make a pact of some kind with yourself when you were young, you can still make one. As George Eliot said, “It is never too late to be what you might have been.”}

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

I have nothing to share today because all I can think about is getting back to The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. I started reading yesterday afternoon and within the first chapter or two, I fell hook, line, and sinker for Flavia de Luce, the 11-year-old protagonist. My younger kids are finally in bed, so I can read!

Flavia is about to break the case wide open, but I do have to share one thing. Alan Bradley was seventy when this book—his first novel—was published. When asked if he had always had a passion for writing or if it was a more recent development, Bradley said, “Well, the Roman author Seneca once said something like this: ‘Hang on to your youthful enthusiasms—you’ll be able to use them better when you’re older.’ So to put it briefly, I’m taking his advice.”

Three cheers for late bloomers! And if you love a good mystery, definitely give this book a try.