Lucy (about the glass coaster on the coffee table): “It’s made out of whack!”
Apparently in reference to my just calling something “wacky”.
Category Archives: Familia
Re-membering
“My great-great-grandmother, great-grandmother, grandmother, mother are all alive for me because they are part of my story. My children and grandchildren and I tell stories about Hugh, my husband. We laugh and we remember–re-member. I tell stories about my friend, the theologian Canon Tallis, who was far more than my spiritual director, with whom I had one of those wonders, a spiritual friendship. I do not believe that these stories are their immortality–that is something quite different. But remembering their stories is the best way I know to have them remain part of my mortal life. And I need them to be part of me, while at the same time I am quite willing for them all to be doing whatever it is that God has in mind for them to do. Can those who are part of that great cloud of witnesses which has gone before us be in two places at once? I believe that they can, just as Jesus could, after the Resurrection.”
Captain’s Prayer
When we were at Tulane, and I went to daily Mass at the Tulane Catholic Center, there was an elderly gentlemen who came sometimes whom I only knew as “Captain”. I don’t know his name, or any part of his story. His face looked like he had been injured during his service, or it could have been scars from surgery, or cancer, I don’t know because I never asked. He walked with a cane, and when he finally stopped coming to Mass I think I remember hearing that it was because the steps to the upper room chapel had finally become too much for him.
Quote of the week
By which I mean, “Lucy’s favorite thing to say right now.” Here it is:
“Stop sneaking me up!”
By which she seems to mean, “You’re getting on my nerves!”
Goodbye, Goldilocks
I thought Lucy was still in bed yesterday morning. And I went to put away come clean paintbrushes, and was surprised to see her standing at the table in the learning room. I was even more surprised by what I noticed next:
Do you see it? The little pile there under the scissors. That’s right, Lucy reached that milestone every little girl reaches at some point in her life: her first self-imposed, clandestine haircut.
I almost cried.
But instead I laughed, and yelled, “Craig, come quick! Bring the camera!”
Babies and Sisters…
It’s amazing how kids learn. It’s so totally effortless. There are always the examples of four-year-olds casually using curse words in polite company, much to their parents’ embarrassment, or course. Yesterday, on the other hand, Lucy was walking around the house with her Fish do the Strangest Things book, standing on top of things, holding the book in front of her, and proclaiming, “A reading from Saint Paul. Babies and sisters…” I stopped in my tracks. She is clearly paying much closer attention while she wiggles away through Mass than we have been giving her credit for. (I asked about the “babies”, and she seemed to think that made more sense than “brothers”, which is understandable I guess since she has a severe lack of brothers at the moment.) Anyway, we are redoubling efforts to have such good influences and Saint Paul and his letters around, so that her osmosis can do its thing.
Kid quotes
Lucy: I can’t help pick up. It really gives me a headache.
That’s right, she skipped a few years, and is now sixteen. In case you hadn’t heard already.
Christmas Cards!
Here are the first photos from the Great Christmas Card Photo Round-up. Thanks, Veronica, Tom, and Clark! If you want to send a cool family picture with your home-made card by Lucy (or if you have not received your card and want to remind me to hurry up!) send me an email.
And here’s the card with their lovely description:
“I think it looks like Winnie the poo walking towards the right while holding a stick with a beehive on it, and bees following him.”
Christmas Cards
So I was thinking…we didn’t take any pictures of the Christmas cards that Lucy is making before we sent them out. But it would be really cool if she got to see who they went to, so…if/when you get yours (there are still a lot to go in the mail and if you think I forgot you or don’t have your address, just email me) if you could send a picture of you and your family with the card, I could post them on the blog (if you don’t mind, of course) and that would be really, really cool. Maybe we could put up a map too, and make this a regular geography thing. Anyway, I would enjoy seeing your beautiful faces with Lucy’s beautiful artwork. : )
Black beans and sweet potatoes?
Last week was black bean and sweet potato week here at the Baker house. I know that probably sounds strange to you, because it did to me a couple of weeks ago. But we (and by “we” I mean Craig) had purchased many, many pounds of sweet potatoes about a month ago, and they needed to be eaten. And black beans are cheap (as were sweet potatoes, hence our abundance). And I generally trust Moosewood cookbooks, so I thought I’d give the “black bean and sweet potato hash” a try. Now, I’m not one to make hashes, as a general rule, so this involved a little bravery to start with. Here’s the recipe, so you can see for yourself what I was getting into.
