Anna is a wise and wonderful woman for many, many reasons. One of my favorite reasons is her philosophy of "small cups;" some days you need a pick-me-up, and even though pouring yourself a really big glass of wine or ordering a giant coffee might sound good, sometimes the best thing is just having a small cup of something. That way you can have a little moment of solace and not spoil your appetite for later.
Anna applies this same philosophy to visiting. I used to be of the opinion that if you were going to make the effort to pack up the kids and go somewhere, you should make it an all-day affair to make the effort worth while. Of course, this was back when I had a non-nursing, fussy baby and I was packing a breast pump with all of the equipment involved(tubes, bottles, cleaning stuff) with me everywhere I went, and chances are that Jack screamed the entire drive so that my nerves were shattered upon our eventual arrival and I couldn't bring myself to put him back in the car for, like, ten hours.
Fortunately, both boys do fabulously in the car now, and short trips are readily available.
This morning we headed down to Anna's and stayed for about two hours, but we managed to pack a lot in. There was watermelon for the kids...
a shady high chair for Matteas...
then some exploring in the garden...
which necessitated a bath in the kitchen sink. I always feel especially grown up when I give my kids a bath in the kitchen sink because I have vivid memories of my own mother doing this. She detested the kitchen sinks with a divider down the middle because you couldn't fit a toddler comfortably in them.
I'm not sure how Albert will feel about me posting this, but I couldn't resist. Albert and Anna have been married five years this September, have three kids, two jobs, and a mortgage. I know some of you might be thinking, "Five years, that's nothing!" To that I can only say, they have plumbed greater relationship depths in five years than most couples do in thirty. And they're still in love. Albert carved their names on this driftwood during their last family camping vacation.
So after a thoroughly lovely and summery day, I cannot account for my craving for Thanksgiving food. Maybe it was the gratitude I was feeling for good friends or something, but I decided to make a Fall Feast for dinner. I melted some butter in a baking dish and added sliced leeks, dried cranberries, salt and pepper, and fresh thyme. I placed two chicken breasts in the dish and spooned the mixture on top, then baked it for thirty minutes. I should have made three breasts because Jack at half of mine and part of Aaron's. So even though Autumn hasn't quite begun, here's to giving thanks any time of year for friends, food, family, and small cups.
Anna is a wise and wonderful woman for many, many reasons. One of my favorite reasons is her philosophy of "small cups;" some days you need a pick-me-up, and even though pouring yourself a really big glass of wine or ordering a giant coffee might sound good, sometimes the best thing is just having a small cup of something. That way you can have a little moment of solace and not spoil your appetite for later.
Anna applies this same philosophy to visiting. I used to be of the opinion that if you were going to make the effort to pack up the kids and go somewhere, you should make it an all-day affair to make the effort worth while. Of course, this was back when I had a non-nursing, fussy baby and I was packing a breast pump with all of the equipment involved(tubes, bottles, cleaning stuff) with me everywhere I went, and chances are that Jack screamed the entire drive so that my nerves were shattered upon our eventual arrival and I couldn't bring myself to put him back in the car for, like, ten hours.
Fortunately, both boys do fabulously in the car now, and short trips are readily available.
This morning we headed down to Anna's and stayed for about two hours, but we managed to pack a lot in. There was watermelon for the kids...
a shady high chair for Matteas...
then some exploring in the garden...
which necessitated a bath in the kitchen sink. I always feel especially grown up when I give my kids a bath in the kitchen sink because I have vivid memories of my own mother doing this. She detested the kitchen sinks with a divider down the middle because you couldn't fit a toddler comfortably in them.
I'm not sure how Albert will feel about me posting this, but I couldn't resist. Albert and Anna have been married five years this September, have three kids, two jobs, and a mortgage. I know some of you might be thinking, "Five years, that's nothing!" To that I can only say, they have plumbed greater relationship depths in five years than most couples do in thirty. And they're still in love. Albert carved their names on this driftwood during their last family camping vacation.
So after a thoroughly lovely and summery day, I cannot account for my craving for Thanksgiving food. Maybe it was the gratitude I was feeling for good friends or something, but I decided to make a Fall Feast for dinner. I melted some butter in a baking dish and added sliced leeks, dried cranberries, salt and pepper, and fresh thyme. I placed two chicken breasts in the dish and spooned the mixture on top, then baked it for thirty minutes. I should have made three breasts because Jack at half of mine and part of Aaron's. So even though Autumn hasn't quite begun, here's to giving thanks any time of year for friends, food, family, and small cups.
1 comment:
Very good advice. Now I'll just have to get me some cups. I like your new format. very pretty.
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