I was Canning...

I finally got around to canning all those berries we picked last week. Raspberry jam and blackberry jelly looks so pretty sitting on my countertops - like jewels!

Nothing beats mashing berries with your bare hands.

Then I let Maya use the camera to capture a few shots of me:

And the end-product! Whew, it was a lot of work, but totally worth it.

Playtime at Lincoln Park

We are always counting as one of our greatest blessings the fact that we live in an area with so many wonderful people that we consider friends. We spent this past Monday at Lincoln Park with some of those friends and had the loveliest morning. I love letting Maya run around with her pals while I sit, knit, and relax in the shade of a tree.

Never content to just go down the slide, Maya is always reversing and going up.

Micah, Lincoln, Tate, and Tennyson - lots of boy power going on here.

Tenny exploring the trees...

There is always fun to be had (and a few banged-up fingers, too) on the abacus rail.

firefighter pole!

Maya's new friend, Micah.

More adventures to come!

Field Trip

I know I've posted photos of our trips to the Aquatic Gardens before, so none of this is really new, but last week Jennie organized a tour of the park and we had such a lovely time there with our friends and Ranger Alexis. Thought it would be nice to record all our happy adventures!

The ever-patient and dynamic Ranger Alexis teaching us about the lotus seed pods.

Jennie and her camera.

Because of the large dragonfly population there are virtually no mosquitoes in the park to plague your visit. So my questions is, how can I attract dragonflies to my yard? Because I'm sure they'd be happy there with so much to eat.

In the distance we spotted a great egret. Then it took flight and it was so beautiful!

Admiring the button plants.

As always, if there is a tree nearby she wants to try to climb it!

After the Hurricane

After our abbreviated church services this morning, we invited the missionaries back to our home for some lunch. In return, I asked them to help move the piano from the playroom to the living room. The living room is painted and finally starting to take on a better character, and I like having a little music corner. Next steps: knocking out the foyer wall, sewing new curtains and throw pillows, and purchasing a new couch.

Where the piano used to be I put the shelves - horizontally - to hold Maya's books and toys. It has turned into such a fun learning and play space. And thanks to our friend Justin, we have two new solid wood small tables perfect for a little girl to sit at and color and be creative.

We also lucked out at the thrift store the other day and found this cute wooden puppet theater stage for $2. TWO DOLLARS folks!

After we got our house in order, Maya's new Waldorf teacher, Lili, came over for a brief home visit. She is so warm and enthusiastic and Mayumi is incredibly excited to start "school" on September 6th. Our little girls is growing up!

And then a few hours later we welcomed our friends Colleen and MJ into our home for a Japanese dinner. Mike manned the tempanyaki grill and cooked at the table while we enjoyed sauteed beef and veggies, edamame from my garden, miso soup, and baked sweet potato chips. Dessert was omochi with fresh pineapple and cantaloupe. Not only did we feed Colleen and MJ well, but we also introduced them to our bunny family.

A busy but perfectly wonderful day.

Maya's Moves

Good Night Irene...

We prepared...

We stocked up on food and water:

We stockpiled out candles and flashlights:

We brought in Jasmine and her brood of six:

We put on our rain gear:

And oh how the winds howled and how the rain pelted our window panes. It was loud and scary.

In the morning, this is some of what greeted our eyes (a few blocks away on our way to church):

But we had power, no damage to our yard or property, and all of our loved ones were safe and accounted for. It was a nice little adventure while it lasted, but we are happy that the sun came out this afternoon (and that we could put the bunnies back outside!). 

Stained Fingers

We went berry picking yesterday. It was a last minute decision to hop in the car and head to Larriland Farms way out in Woodbine Maryland, a good hour drive from our house. It was hot, but that didn't stop us from spending hours in the berry patches. We got five pounds of raspberries and 7.5 pounds of blackberries. I wanted to get peaches and tomatoes too, but poor Maya was so wiped out that I decided to have mercy and stop pushing my own agenda and go home! She of course fell asleep on the ride home.

A darling Nikki McClure print on a set of postcards. Love!

My sweet helper - who ate way more than she actually contributed to the bucket.

Red raspberries were most abundant, but we got a handful of yellow raspberries as well. Yum.

We also took the time to cut some flowers. In fact, Maya insisted on doing it all herself. This is entirely her bouquet!

Once we got back in the city we filled up the car with gas, stopped by the library to get a whole load of books and dvds and then swung by the bank to get some cash. It looks like Hurrican Irene isn't going to really hit us - but it never hurts to be prepared.

Strange Things Are Going on

Where were we during the great quake of 2011?

Maya and I were in the car stopped at a light on the corner of Mass Ave and 13th Street here on the Hill, on our way to Lincoln Park. The car started to shake and I thought, "Oh no, what is wrong with our car and how much is it going to cost to fix?"  I looked in the rearview to see if the car behind me was bumping me but that didn't seem to be the issue. I noticed the streetlamps and traffic lights were swaying but it still didn't dawn on me that it was an earthquake. It abated after a minute, the light turned green and I went on my merry way. The car behind me pulled up alongside me and asked if my car was shaking before. I nodded and he said his was too, he thought that maybe there was construction going on in the house on the corner and maybe they were doing something in the basement that was shaking the road. It wasn't until I had parked and was situated comfortably on a bench while Maya played on the playground that a woman passing by asked my about the earthquake. And it all clicked.

Mike had to evacuate his building. Some of the walls cracked in the stairwell. Metro ran on a delayed schedule and traffic getting out of the city was monstrous. So glad we live right here on Capitol Hill and that we didn't have to deal with that.

The first quake in Virginia in over a hundred years - 5.9 on the scale. Thank goodness there's no evident damage. A few picture frames fell down off the shelf at home but that's about it... but I now want to make sure we are prepared with 72-hour kits and food storage and plenty of water. And will read up on all sorts of emergency preparedness like the Ready.gov site. Just in case.

Bunny Update

We are so in love with these little buns.

They'll be ready for a home in three weeks or so... I know you want one!

Working Hard

Oh, the past few weeks have been full of lots of work, projects, and service. This past Saturday we volunteered with our ward at DC Public School Beautification Day. It consisted mostly of weeding flower beds, planting new flowers, mulching and sweeping up.

Maya takes a break from the hard work.

But there's been lots to do around the house and Maya is increasingly more interested in assisting me on whatever project I'm working on.

Here she is cutting watermelon.

And shucking corn...

And just all around cheering us up with her fun ways.

Our little Waldorf Co-op starts on Tuesday September 6th. There is much anticipation and work to be done in our house!

Lucky 13

Mike and I celebrated our 13 year wedding anniversary on Saturday evening. Many thanks to "Auntie" Liz for coming over to hang out with Maya while Mike and I enjoyed dinner at Acqua Al 2. Dinner was amazingly good and we took our time eating, talking, and reviewing our long history together. We talked about what was hardest about being married and then about what were our favorite things about the other person. And we just checked in about what our family goals and vision are. It was such a lovely evening and a warm reminder of how much I love this man of mine and how grateful that I'm able to share my life with my best friend who is a thoughtful, loving husband and amazing father.

Feeling a bit sentimental, I guess...

Auspicious?

This past week has passed in a flurry of activity. All of our butterflies hatched from their cocoons and made a grand departure into the wild yonder.

But perhaps the most exciting event was the discovery of a litter of newborn bunnies on the back deck. I went out to feed Jasmine one morning and almost stepped onto a little gray blob on the floor. At first I thought it was a dead rodent, but then I realized it was alive and that it was a hairless, blind, newborn baby bunny! To my shock there was a nest under the grill filled with five other little wiggly buns. The pieces started to click…It has been three weeks since we picked Jasmine up from the bunny sitters – My friend Vanessa has two rabbits that she breeds and she was the one who had given us Jasmine from one of their many litters. Our little incestuous bun must’ve gotten it on with her daddy and come home knocked up. No wonder her appetite has grown! I’d also seen her preparing the nest under the grill, but I just assumed she was doing it for herself to make it more comfortable. And I’d noticed that she had a few bald spots and I’d worried that she was getting into altercations with the squirrels, but in fact bunnies will pull fur from their bodies to line their nests with. Amazing.

Maya keeps saying “Jasmine had babies all by herself, without a husband!” Oh dear, someday the talk about the birds and bees will happen. But for now we’re just reveling in the miracle of it. And we’re hoping this is a good sign for us – fertility mojo abounds! Lots of new life in our home!

Now we have to focus on finding some good homes for these little buns. Anyone want a cute baby bunny?