And finally - T-Day

What?! Thanksgiving Dinner outside? Yes, it was such a lovely day. Such a lovely day as that. And with all hands pitching in, we had quite a spread - including some "firsts" for our group of chefs with Rebecca's roasted veggies and Rita's sweet potato pie, plus Rachel & Marianthy's beautiful table and place cards; also most of the classics and a huge dessert table. [The blueberry coffeecake was supposed to be for the next day's breakfast, but Rachel spotted it and stuck it on the table and it got gobbled down. Whatever it takes to keep a pregnant woman happy!]

We even managed a walk around the neighborhood and down to Westover Park in the late afternoon. (Oh and both Asher and Gemma still got in their afternoon naps!) Alex thrilled us with his acrobatics on the swings and Asher showed off his laughs and new teeth.

I am thankful for my family, in all its variety, spending the day joyfully in each other's company...Grandpa, Jaja, Gram, Pete, Rita, Liliana, Marianthy, Rebecca, Alex, Craig, Rachel, Asher, baby-girl-on-the-way, Jim, and Gemma!

More fun ones from Durham

It's not a good day at 1406 Oakland unless we go to Oval Park - and we did that every day! Gemma has gotten very good at climbing the steps and going down the slide by herself.

And on Thanksgiving Day, the Posadas drove down from Virginia to join us for two days of celebrating. On Thursday we had a hike at Eno River and then an afternoon of munchies (how is it possible to feel just as full from munchie bites as from a full Thanksgiving meal?) and hanging around at the Freys, napping, drawing, chatting, playing Take Two, and watching Asher & Gemma play.

So it was on Friday that we had the full Thanksgiving meal, now with Pete & Rita too, and Gram. It was another lovely day to be outside, and of course go to the park - see the pics of Alex patiently pushing the kids around a tractor. Awesome! Jim even snapped some portrait pics of Mom & Dad - doubly awesome.

Thanksgiving week in Durham!

What an amazing week we had in Durham! Of course it helped that most of the time the weather was sunny and warm - the first time that I can remember eating Thanksgiving dinner outside on the deck!

Actually we were there 9 days, and Jim spent the first 2 in Charlotte at a conference on higher education, including a presentation with a colleague from NSSE. On the drive back to Durham he stopped to visit with some friends from Cape Town now living in Charlotte - wow, that was special.

Nov 18th was Pete's birthday - "Mom, do you really need to paste the birthday numbers on the front door for everyone in the neighborhood to see?" Yes, of course. And yes, we played the balloon game. And yes, Matt did come down for a day en route home to Port Orchard after some training seminars in Charlottesville. Surprise! So, four siblings in the house at the same time. Kate, are you proud of us/"mad at us"/wish you were there?

Another wonderful aspect of this visit is now having some Wheaton friends living in the area: Mike & Megan (& Milo) are in Cary; and Jay & Rebecca (& 4 kids) are in Durham. We haven't seen M&M in...5/6 years...a long time. Glad we could introduce them to a picnic at Lake Crabtree, and next time we will make it a day's affair and test out a Sunfish. We then spent an evening with J&R, and heard the story of how their path - and friends - has brought them to Durham/Chapel Hill. Naturally Jim attempted self-portrait photos of us...which I think accurately reflects the conviviality of all. (that was for you, Matt)

blogger is acting up, not letting me input text next to photos - sorry!

8 reasons to love Bloomington this week

It's been a good week in B-town.

1. For starters, last Sunday some neighbors brought us pumpkin bread! WOW, that is a first for Sherwood Hills condos. And Gemma loved it. She can definitely gobble pumpkin bread.

2. We have an amazing year-round farmer's market, and frequently they will have events to celebrate the seasons. (Katie & Noah, remember last year's Apple Tasting?) Last weekend was the Soup Tasting, with local restaurants contributing free samples.

3. Autumn has been beautiful here, with radiant trees and plenty of sunshine. It makes me happy happy happy to keep going for walks outside and spending afternoons at the park while Gemma runs around squealing on the playground.

4. Thursday afternoons is our family outing to Mother Hubbard's Cupboard (the local food pantry - it has kept us well-fed this last year, and introduced us to some new foods). This week we got - amongst other things - a huge selection of bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, pears, turnips and parsnips. I have never been so excited to eat parsnips!! And thanks to Simply in Season, we are making maple-glazed parsnips. Very easy - just slice and roast the parsnips, then pour over a light maple syrup-butter glaze.

Gemma had fun sorting through the goods and trying some taster bites.

5. Jim heard positive feedback from his advisor that his dissertation proposal - which is also the first 3 chapters of the dissertation - are ready and he can now schedule his proposal defense, currently planned for early January. He will then be able to officially launch into the research portion of his work. He has done many, many revisions on that proposal so now he gets a much-deserved respite for the rest of the semester. Way to go, Jim!

6. A typical visit to the park and library included hearing 2 other languages (besides English) at the park, and 4 other languages at the library. I need some help learning more Polish and Chinese greetings!

7. And the Gran Finale: how's this for a fun Saturday? After Gemma's morning nap, we went to the B-town Handmade Fair at the convention center (with approx. 30 booths of local handcrafts, jewelry, woodwork, soaps, clothing, art, toys...) and then to a church's Fiber Arts sale. And there were 4 other handcraft fairs going on that day but we couldn't get to all of them. It almost felt like a Christkindlemarkt or Christmas Market in Germany, minus gluhwein of course.

After the afternoon nap, we stopped by the community orchard (just down the road from us) for Cider Fest, with free cider and pumpkin bread and apple-bobbing and face painting and tours of the orchard.

Then, Yesenia (Jim's colleague at IU) came for dinner and stayed to babysit while Jim and I went to see La Boheme on campus! Oh my - a date! It was a very, very good production and the first time we had seen that opera. Of course, the set was incredible, which was my favorite part. See pics here.

8. And to cap it off, here's our little helper making some stew while Mom & Dad make dinner.

14 months old (and missing Daddy)

This week Jim is in Louisville for 2 1/2 days for a NAFSA: Association of International Educators regional conference - and we are sorely missing him (and the dishes are piling up!). I mean, who wouldn't miss a dad who dresses up like this to take her for a morning walk?

Actually the weather has been mild this fall, except for some cold mornings, so we continue our daily walks and daily trips to the park.

Meanwhile, Gemma is now 14 months old and really working hard at her spoon and fork skills. Here she is going for it at breakfast (porridge, of course). Not bad, hey?!

Very proud of herself! She can eat about half the bowl on her own with no help.

But of course using hands is key once she gets to the bottom of the bowl.

Meanwhile I have been experimenting with chai concentrate syrup. I make a strong tea and add honey & spices (cinnamon, cloves, cardamon, ginger, bay leaf, and peppercorns), cooking slowly until it thickens. Then I store that in the fridge, and when desired mix 1:1 with steamed milk: chai latte! Or in my case, chai cappuccino. I'm a sucker for the foam. So delicious. It really is remarkable how my attitude can turn immediately toward contentment once I start sipping.

All it takes is this little battery-powered wand to create great foam.

The sweet, spicy chai peeks out so enticingly from underneath its cave of foam...