January 01, 2010

2009 : in photos + words : march

January 01, 2010/ molly balint

: 23 March 2009 :

| How We Do Things |

:20 March 2009 :

| Family Stories |

These boxes are full of family stories. I sorted, tried to make out faces, noticed how much someone's children look exactly like they did, when they were that age. Marveled at my grandmother, poolside--a handful of kids splashing in the water, a few toddlers watching from wooden playpens in the grass. Children spread around long wooden tables on the patio, covered in newspaper, dipping eggs into colored water. Girls bareback on horses. Weddings on the front lawn with green tents, bright yellow table cloths and daisies. Volkswagen buses and BB guns ....

: 31 March 2009 :

| Five Senses |

So now after all this, I'm not sure if my girls know more about their five senses, or more about how fun it is to blindfold each other and make them stick their hands into unknown bowls of food ....

December 30, 2009

2009 : in photos + words : january

December 30, 2009/ molly balint

For the next twelve posts, I thought I'd take a look back at 2009, a month at a time. I'm going to pull a favorite picture or two, a few words from a post I want to remember and cherish. I feel like it's a good way to reflect, and a good way to go forward into the New Year.

To celebrate the good things, the hard things I thought I might just not make it through, the "seasons" that have passed, the funny moments and the joys of 2009, before I wish her so long.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::

: 15 January 2009 :

Befriending a Rooster

I've got this thing with roosters. It goes back to my childhood growing up on a farm. There was Friendly, the rooster who did not live up to his name ....

The Farm Report: dealing with my rooster

: 13 January 2009 :

: Cue The Doves :

This morning in a sleepy stupor, I heard the rustling of children downstairs. Moments later, I woke to hushed giggles beside my bed and opened my eyes to a dove, preening her feathers on my pillow ....

: 05 January 2009 :

New Year, New Project :

Habit was born out of a desire to capture little bits of our everyday lives--nothing staged--but real life moments we experience every day. It was meant to stretch us ....

December 20, 2009

neighborly

December 20, 2009/ molly balint

We survived our first big storm of the year. They were calling for all kinds of exciting things like two feet of snow, high winds and blizzards. But we woke up this morning to sunny skies and about a foot of snow on the ground.

The girls were out in it first thing yesterday morning, after the first six inches had fallen and winds and snow were still swirling. The youngest two didn't last long. Elizabeth was in tears, but it was still a battle getting her to give in and come back inside.

I've been on house arrest, as my husband seems to disappear outside in all MY snow gear--my boots, my big warm down jacket. So while he's been watering chickens, and searching through blizzards for missing cats, I've been inside keeping a steady supply of hot chocolate at the ready. And keeping some semblance of order in a house that is getting a lot of action while we're all hunkered down inside.

During this storm, I've been overwhelmed by the kindness of neighbors. A family friend showing up, hours before the storm with a box full of hand-me-down snow pants, down jackets, hats, mittens and boots. There was something in the box for everyone. Last year's handed down snowsuit from Emily, just happened to fit Elizabeth perfectly. Everyone had something for the snow. (Well, everyone except me!)

And this morning, as Dan started shoveling out cars and driveways and paths to the sheds, Mr. Dorsey showed up on his tractor. A neighbor with a tractor is a good thing to have.

Otherwise, I have a feeling Dan would have been out there shoveling until dusk. That's a lot of snow to move around.

And once again, I'm thankful for a stash of Christmas cookies in my freezer. An impromptu thank you at the ready. Mr. Dorsey lives alone with no family around, and I'm pretty sure he enjoys a little home-baked goodness in exchange for a quick plowing of the driveway. I even caught him "inspecting" the cookies, as his tractor lumbered back up the road towards his farm.

Good neighbors, good friends are certainly a gift.

December 17, 2009

ONE Simple Question : No. 8

December 17, 2009/ molly balint

It's been getting harder and harder to find willing souls to help with chores around here. But I don't blame them--it's cold, the wind is whipping, it requires dressing in multiple layers, finding hats, mittens, scarves, boots...coming back with runny noses, purple hands and chapped chins.

But there's one little soul, rain or shine, freezing temperatures or mild ones, who's always anxious to come along. Her boots go on before the pajamas come off, and she knows the routine--cats first, throw down food to the chickens, shut the shed doors, walk to the coop and let the chickens out for their dash across the yard to their grain by the garden shed. She also knows how to keep warm--one mittened hand pulled inside her coat the other hand in mine and shoved into my coat pocket. She makes for great company.

On the nights when I find myself alone--doing the evening lock-in by myself, a warm cup of tea in my hands makes for good company, too. But not as good as Elizabeth, of course.

As for my simple question...I'm looking for some ideas. Christmas day breakfast is on my brain. I'm looking for a good recipe for something I can make the night before--either in the crockpot, or something to put in the oven Christmas morning. Something simple, something yummy.

Specifically, I'd love to find a recipe for baked french toast. I've heard "rumors" of one with thick-sliced bread, apples, cinnamon--something prepared the night before, refrigerated and baked the next morning. I'd love to find a recipe for something like that. Otherwise--I'm open to inspiration. I want Christmas morning to be relaxing but special. I don't want to be standing over the stove flipping pancakes, but rather savoring the morning with my family. But I still want something yummy for the ten minutes I can get my children to gather around the table.

Recipes? Ideas? Traditions? I want to hear them. I'd like to upgrade from fried eggs and boxed cereal for this special morning....

December 03, 2009

tiny tim

December 03, 2009/ molly balint

Hello, friends. Wow, it's seems like ages since I've been in this place. I feel like I'm still catching up from our holiday weekend away.

My sister and I basically house-swapped for the holiday. She came here for Thanksgiving and managed to take care of our chickens, dogs and cats. While we went her direction, where my mother also lives--and took care of the animals on her farm. (Though she left us more animals to take care of, she had a more "annoying" situation--as our older Lab wandered the valley the whole time we were away...) Things are never problem-free when you go away, are they?

To top things off on Sunday morning, little Mary woke up unable to move her right leg. She was in excruciating pain--couldn't move, couldn't touch her skin and it took us two hours to finally get her moving and out of bed. But by mid-day she seemed back to normal.

Monday morning she woke up again with the exact same problem--this time it took me almost three hours to get her up and able to move--and we hobbled straight to the doctor's office.

She'd had a very bad, sore and swollen tick bite at the base of her hairline the week before and in my mind I had the strong suspicion that she had Lyme's Disease. But there was no "bulls eye" rash, and it was very early for symptoms to start to appear.

After a very frustrating experience at the doctor's office--where I felt like he wasn't recognizing the fact that Mary was faking health and lack of pain in order to not be embarrassed in front of him, he did blood work to determine what was bothering her--(yes, I was the mother of the hysterically screaming child in exam room two)--but basically the doctor thought we were looking at "morning stiffness". ??

She continued to go down hill that afternoon and by dinner, I broke down and called him back--convinced that she at least needed to begin a round of antibiotics--something I'm never quick to put my children on--while we waited out the four days for her test results to come back. It's horrible seeing your children in pain, especially when you don't know exactly what is wrong with them or what to do to help.

But the doctor stood fast, and didn't want to start any meds until we knew what was exactly wrong. I hung up the phone frustrated.

Thankfully, the next night, her test results came back earlier than expected and my suspicions were correct--she has Lyme's Disease. And while I hate to see Mary have it, I'm glad we know what's going on and how to help her have some relief.

So now, she's walking around the house like an 80 year-old woman with bad hips. One morning she requested two croquet mallets to help her get around--which has led us to refer to her as Tiny Tim.

The antibiotics haven't kicked in yet, but I can tell she's relieved to be getting something to help her feel better. She also loves the fact that I'm offering her unlimited amounts of yogurt--to help restore some of those good bacteria the antibiotics wipe out.

As my aunt said the other day, "It's always something, isn't it?" But we're hanging in there. Relief is around the corner. The sun is out today. Emma is horseback riding. The girls have a "baking date" in the afternoon. And I have some crafty plans up my sleeve.

Each day holds both it's own trials and it's own treasures.