Ricotta Cookies

Whenever we don't know what to do, we bake. The kids love helping with measuring and mixing, and of course eating. I much prefer baking to regular cooking, so everyone wins. I had some leftover ricotta so we made ricotta cookies. They are so soft and light! The only problem is, the recipe makes about 700 cookies. I guess there are worse problems to have.

Also, I got some new glass jars for kitchen storage. We buy so many things in bulk and I need a better way to organize them. Plus, they are more pleasing to the eye than the old tubs and baggies.

Quotables

I was flipping through my old day planner and I found a bunch of funny quotes from the kids over the last year. Almost all of them are from Unity, Brixton is just starting to tell us his funny ideas. Enjoy!

She's a four-mingo, because she's four.

Mama, that says Storm! S-t-o-r-m.

The mailboxer has to take our mail.

School is more better than home because school is only a little clean up.

You know what my favorite color is? Jewelry!

I can put this picture on my wall with taxes.

Let's go to the Arburrito.

Do you like washing hands? No, because it's not fun. The only thing I like is wasting water.

See?  all gone. (Brixton with empty o's box.)

Ghosts don't exist. Well, they do exist because people can be ghosts for Halloween.

You have the best writing but mine is a little bit best too.

Do you know why I put this blanket here? Because at some point I will hide and you will seek me here.

I am a hinch taller than my brother.

this weekend

Our hearts go out to everyone who's been dealing with hurricane Irene and the aftermath. I hope the recovery is quick. After months of tangles and tears, Chris gave Unity a haircut this weekend. Other than her bangs, this is the first time her hair's ever been cut. Turned out pretty well, she's happy with it and hopefully this will lead to less tangles. We had a summer picnic with some friends including both Desmonds and their parents. We were celebrating the fact that Alex and Matias are in town, so of course I don't have any pictures of them. Sorry guys. Brixton bonked his head under the table and gave himself a bloody lip so he and Chris had to practice their father-son hardcore faces. Ready to go on tour, don't you think?

Linking to Weekending.

Beauty

Chris and Unity went to the farmers' market yesterday, as usual. They came back with these. I don't even really have to say anything, do I? Just look at them. That's what I keep doing.

Graduation



Quinn (in flowers), Unity, and Sadie (in green)

Beatrix and U

Brixton had a popsicle.

Or maybe it was the other way round.

Graduation is always such a muddle of fear and excitement, no matter what the age. Perhaps it's especially strong the first time, one of the earliest experiences of leaving one familiar place and set of people and moving on to the unknown friends and teachers in the future. We were able to attend the graduation at Unity's preschool and watch some of her friends take that step. Some were shy, some hammed it up, but they all got their ribbon and certificate, and of course, their cupcake. I'm hoping that Unity will be able to remember this when it's her turn to cross the stage next year.

baking and bus stop comforting

She was singing to him, to help him calm down.

Blackberry muffins- I love the purple swirls.

Yarn along- gussets, sigh

This week I struggled with my gussets. I knew this would happen. I somehow picked up the wrong stiches and found myself knitting inside out. This always happens. I need to get down to my yarn store and have the nice folks help me rip it out and fix it, but I haven't had time for that yet. Sigh.

I read A Year and Six Seconds by Isabel Gillies, and Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer.

A Year and Six Seconds is a divorce memoir. The author tells the story of moving herself and her two small sons back in with her parents after her husband leaves her. It was clearly a very emotional time but for some reason Gillies narrative just seems flat- she talks about her emotions with the same intensity that she talks about her mom's flower arrangements and her lipgloss and she's very focused on finding another guy right away. Which she does, but it doesn't quite seem like a love story as much as two divorced parents who really want to get married again. Can you tell I didn't like this book very much?
Under the Banner of Heaven got a lot of attention when it came out in 2003. Krakauer, best known for his non fiction about people facing the elements, tells the story of a brutal murder commited by a few members of a Fundamentalist Morman sect. He weaves the story of the murders in with a history of the LDS church and its place in American history, while musing about faith and revelations. All religions have a bloody history somewhere in the past and it's interesting to think about how current practitioners come to terms with that history. Krakauer also raises a lot of good points about a faith that is based on individuals having personal revelations from the Divine. Since the Friends also base our faith on these personal revelations, it was interesting to ponder these questions, although I think our peace testimony would preclude any Friend from trusting a "revelation" that tells them to kill someone. I hope so anyway. I really enjoyed this book and you can tell, it gave me a lot to think about.

lingering...

I have seen a few leaves changing color and felt that shift in the air. It's coming, it's on the way. So we are lingering, soaking up what's left to us, trying to spend hours at the beach and the park, trying to squeeze in that last long gulp of summer. I think our beach visits have really helped Brixton cope with his water fears, his baths and trips to the wading pool have gotten much easier. I speculate that the lake allows him to have control over how much of his body gets wet.  and, I love it when all the mountains are out.

this weekend

Ok so I have a question. What do you do when you have a sink full of dishes and a pile of laundry that needs folding? You make a cherry pie of course! So I did, with a coconut almond topping. Yum.

We moved Brixton up to the bigger car seat. Sniffle.

and we hung out with Chris's good friend Erin and her kids Keira and Samara, aged five and three. They just moved back to Seattle and Keira and Unity hit it off immediately. I think it was the dress that did it. We are looking forward to more playdates with them.

this moment

Linking with Soule Mama today.

visitors

The top of the library, looking down.

Unity was thrilled to borrow Thea's shoes.

They don't have hills like this in Chicago!



We are excited to spend some time with Thea and Justin, my good friends from high school who are in town for a quick visit. We took them to the fabulous downtown Public Library (really, you must see it sometime) and along the waterfront. It's been really nice to show them around our stomping grounds- three cheers for visitors.