one from the road (or so I thought)

(Ignore that post date, that's when I started this post)

I wrote this blog entry early in the roadtrip under the mistaken impression that I would be updating regularly. I was obviously wrong. After 40 days and 7000 miles, we returned home two weeks ago and have been settling in ever since. My darling man returned home last Monday and life is sweet sweet SWEET, I do say. Just to have my family together, home, and back to the regular regular.

All is well.

Our first stop, in Atlanta Ga, with Lorie Jean and Harper and Addie, was...how do you say? Smashing! We arrived much later than planned because, uh, we left much later than planned, but who cares? When one is in the presence of the Harris clan, time does not exist in it's natural state. Otherwise, how could one explain three little girls and two mamas up until 1:30-ish in the morning with nary a sad face or meltdown? Only fun and toys and play play play! Yes, Augustus missed out. He was such a trooper, he stayed up literally until we were about to pull into LJ's driveway, saying no mama, I'm not asleep, I'm staying awake to see LJ and Harper and Addie only for me to turn around to tell him We've arrived! to see him sleeping so soundly, not all the racket in the world could awaken him.

We presented LJ and the girls with the fruit of our pre-trip labors, beautiful (spoiler alert, if I'm going to stay with you on this trip, avert your eyes) hand-poured soaps. Notice I did not say hand-made. With good reason. I searched and searched for lye-free soap recipes, seeing as how I did not want to blind myself or one of my wee helpers, and was left high and dry. About to give up on the entire project, I encountered a book on how to "make" soap from already made soap! Imagine my joy, tempered with the thought that I was somehow cheating, but I bought the book and well suffice it to say that until someone gives me a fabulous lye-free simple and relatively easy soap recipe, this is the way to go for me! We loved doing them so so much that I want to make them for everyone! On the planet! They turned out so yummy and honey-y and beeswax-y and, well, delightful that I'm addicted to glycerin soap pouring. I guess you had to be there.

the adventure begins and a flashback

So I'm on a roadtrip, did I tell you I was going? Oh, I forgot to tell you too? Sometimes, I tell ya, that ol' noggin of mine...
Flashback:
Wednesday, December 10
We went to our first holiday party of the season and had a lovely time, but really the loveliest part of all was Magdalena, Augustus and Frida all dressed up in there Christmas finery, and trust they were, along with the grandchildren of the hostess, the life of the party. Quick visual, little to big because I must have dropped my mom card that night I did not take one single photo.
Frida: casual updo, simple, beautiful blue velvet and black silk little girl fancy dress (think Ralph Lauren) and black and tan wellingtons (galoshes)
Augustus: new little boy haircut, red and green plaid Christmas shirt, red sweater vest with white trim, khaki pants, black cowboy boots
Magdalena: gorgeous green silk headband with small flowers, gorgeous big girl Christmas dress - a warm sand colored dress embroidered with burgundy flowers and dark green delicate leaves, silk sash with a flower around the waist, embroidery finished hem (sent from Nana), sparkly "princess"shoes
It was lovely, like I said.

Thursday, December 11
Magdalena participated in the annual Waldorf Advent Spiral. (Once again, description only, no photos. What?) I'm not sure about y'all, but when I see about twenty 4-6 year olds sitting quietly on a step, reverently, listening to a small folk string ensemble play Amazing Grace and various other instrumental Christmas classics, get up one by one, receive a candle in an apple (picture a small apple as a candle holder, a chunk cut out of the top for the votive), slowly and reverently walk a beautiful spiral of fresh evergreen boughs to the middle, light (or pretend to light/go through the motions of lighting because the wind kept blowing them out) their candle, then place the apple candle on a small wooden cut-out star following the curve of the spiral, walk reverently out of the spiral, then sit and wait for the other twenty or so children to do the exact same thing, well, I believe I have witnessed a minor if not miracle, then Very Special Event. Needless to say, but it was lovely.
Full disclosure: I walked the spiral with Augustus after the children had finished (they went inside for a story, cookies and apple juice) to retrieve Magdalena's apple, and I must say, there was a feeling, a spiritual presence, a feeling for reverence and of reverence that came over us both as we walked that spiral. The wind was blowing, the full moon and stars above, and as we quietly and slowly, with purpose, walked the spiral, it felt like we entered a sacred space.

Friday, December 12
And the big day arrives! We leave for our roadtrip! Our adventure of the season, our holiday travels, our journey to see papa and family and friends all, well, almost all, points north and west.
Our ETD was 11am, shooting in actuality for noon, making it out the door after 2pm with no major meltdowns and a not-too-harried mama, I'd say a perfect take-off in that case. More to come on the roadtrip, photos and all. Right now we are at stop four, Nashville, TN and the children need tending.

Did you notice?

Friday we went to our favorite library in town for our regular Friday family story/art time and sooooo enjoyed ourselves. Afterwards we went straight to the Barber Shop. Did you notice? Augustus and his incredibly cute and handsome little boy haircut? Straight from the 50's? Ohhh but he is so yummy I could just eat him up.

cold enough for coco and a pink pancake morning

What I imagine Augustus will look like drinking coffee when he's 17:

Call me crazy, I think the above photo is hilarious.

Ok, so on to the post. Do you ever have one of those mornings or rather days when you just don't get out of your pajamas? No? Well read on, and you'll hear about a mama who does. This morning it was just cold enough, just brisk enough to really warrant a morning of hot coco for Magdalena and Augustus. And it just turned into one of those amazing slow mornings of breakfast, finally, at around 11:30, of the most luscious pink heart-shaped pancakes on the planet. Cross Jessica Seinfeld's beet pancake recipe with Joy's four-grain flapjack recipe and that is a pancake to be reckoned with, delicious to boot. Not for the faint of heart, they cook up to almost 1/2 inch thick of moist pink yumminess and I get to feel like a Really Good Mama and I Am Happy because my children are lapping up Homemade Pink Pancake Goodness with beets and ricotta cheese and eggs and whole wheat and oats with coconut oil subbing for the butter and all honey sweetness.

Along with our morning treat of hot coco M. and A. broke out the new alphabet stamp pad. I love homeschooling, did I mention that? We did a morning of stamping and letter identification (A) and sounding out and spelling (M) all before noon and still in our pj's. Lovely. Then on to the flapjacks around 11-ish and that is the recipe for starting a wonderful day. That after waking up slowly with both my snugly children glued to my sides in bed this morning, we are off to a rollicking start. I worked on being lazy, hard, worked on some crafty things I have going, drew a bath for Augustus and Frida not one time not two times but three times today, starting with immediately after the first round of pancakes around noon, ending with the last round of pancakes, around 3:00. My mom stopped by around 2:30-ish and Magdalena said we're having lunch to which I promptly said, well, it's really our afternoon snack. You know, because exactly what kind of mom feeds her children and niece lunch at 2:30? Well, the kind that feeds them breakfast at 11:30 I guess.

Did I mention also that Magdalena has opted to keep her hair short? We went and got her bob trimmed, she requested a "stacked bob", and the hair dresser said, "I've never heard a little girl say that". Right. So now on to our local old school barber shop where Augustus is raring to go to get his hair cut. Tomorrow. Really.

Oh, and how'd ya like the product placement in the lower photos? They really stand out to me because I don't buy juice boxes, unless we're actually at Starbucks and that's what they want, Auntie Su-Su brought them for the children after she went to Starbucks because she is such a sweetie.

So now it appears I have two sponsors for this post, the product placement of the Knudsen's (I think) and the shout-out for Starbucks. Can I get paid now?

pss. one more thing. Along time ago, a friend told me she wanted to comment and couldn't, I just figured out how to open up the "comment section"! So now anybody can comment, anybody! Just sign your name and don't say anything mean, or I might have to "edit" you.