and the livin' is easy

it is almost summer. almost. tomorrow is the last day of school around here--that's my measurement.

i still love summer vacation. love it. love my boys being on our family schedule--as goofy as that is, sometimes.

every last day of school we make a list--and i'm not much of a list maker. but, we(all four of us) make a list of all the things we'd like to do,see,visit,learn, make,try and experience over the short michigan summer.

we started the summer list because as b was ending the school year in 2000, i had just given birth to his new baby brother and i was hoping a list of things from b would help me stay balanced and attuned to both kids--little and itty-bitty. the early baby days of nursing and bathing, napping and burping slip away too quickly and i wanted to make the most of summer for b too. admittedly, i was afraid balancing the needs of two kids would be near impossible. the summer list eased this worry. we did fine, if i remember correctly.

so tomorrow, we'll make our list and do a few other things to celebrate the end of another successful school year. i'll post our list next week. in the meantime, what do you most want to do, see, visit, make, try and experience this summer?



love and light and summmertime
deborah

soup from bones

new year and new beginnings. who doesn't like that? but, do we have to start over? or can we begin again. from where we left off?

can we take all we've learned and experienced and use it to begin....right here, right now?

that's what i'm doing. no resolutions. no big fan-fare. just quietly scooping up all i've learned, gained and experienced to make further progress.

do you know what works for you....and what doesn't? are you willing to let go of what isn't working this year?

what works for me? starting the year with a big pot of soup on the stove and my big family to share it with. it's a tradition--17 years, now. making soup from bones. a black bean and ham soup. our christmas eve honey baked ham bone in particular. then lots of yummy ingredients. it simmers all day. the recipe is right here. it's an evening of family, good food and games every new year's day. that works for me. taking something wonderful from last year and bringing it into the new year. soup from bones--something from nothing.


best
deborah