May. 12, 2008 - Project 52 Weeks 18-19, May 1-13

The first two weeks of May are always hectic around here. During that first weekend, Laurel had a Show Kids performance as part of the SKIT Performing Arts School. Her group sang a medley from "High School Musical." Here she is in the green room with her good friend Tae'lor, who was a phenomenal performer during the Broadway Musical show.




Then came the Cub Scouts end-of-the-year pack meeting, which consumed Dr. H. for the few days preceding the event. He did a fabulous job planning and running the night, from food to games to the more solemn crossing over ceremony. Here's Duncan with one of his very best buddies, Noah, running the three-legged race:





Just to make our life even more complicated, we somehow scheduled to American Heritage Girls Spring Awards and Crossing Over Ceremony for the same week as the Cub Scouts' big night! So while Dr. H. was celebrating his hard-earned relaxation on Tuesday evening, I was in high-stress mode. The ceremony was wonderful on Thursday, though, and I continue to marvel that we've just finished out our 5th year as a troop. The blessings are abundant. Here are Laurel and I as we head off to the ceremony:

We are heading off for a much-anticipated vacation to Colonial Williamsburg this week. Eight hours in the car with a book sure does sound good!

Apr. 30, 2008 - Project 52, Week 17: April 23-30

For some parents it's the child turning age 5 or riding a 2-wheeler; for me, it's the loss of the two front teeth that somehow marks the real passage from the world of little kid to kid. Duncan's two front teeth came out last week, and his new ones are already showing. Already his body has lengthened and he is all tall boy, baby curves gone everywhere but in his face.

Apr. 23, 2008 - Project 52, Weeks 14, 15, 16: April 2-22

I really do have a good reason for slacking off these past few weeks in my Project 52. We've been hosting a small group at our house for the past 4 weeks on Tuesday evenings, so Tuesdays (which were formerly  Project 52 day) became cleaning and baking day temporarily. And of course that made Wednesdays catch-up day, and, well, that's what happens. But our small group is over now, and I can get back into the swing of things again. So here's what's been happening around here these past few weeks:


Spring, glorious Spring!



Girl in springy shirt that she made in sewing class...



Spring really does bring new birth: Abigail Rhapsody meets her cousins on April 9.


Laurel's science project for spring semester science class...



Pink dogwood, the princess of spring...



Spring scavenger hunt



Spring tie-dye



American Heritage Girls bring spring cleaning supplies to the Ronald McDonald House.



Spring Formal...



More backyard in spring. I can't resist taking pictures of the splendor of flowering in our yard.


"Everything is blooming most recklessly;
if it were voices instead of colors, there would be an unbelievable shrieking into the heart of the night."
~Rainer Maria Rilke

Apr. 2, 2008 - Project 52, Week 13: March 27-April 1

"All the world is a birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much."
~George Harrison

Mar. 26, 2008 - Project 52, Week 12: March 20-26

We've been on spring break most of the past week; thus photo opportunities have been in abundance.

For one, there was a beautiful spring afternoon spent at Ijams Nature Center:



And then Dr. H. and Jesse went on a backpacking weekend that they've been planning for several weeks now (and during which Jesse discovered that Converse are not really good hiking shoes):




And of course there were eggs to decorate:




And a pretty girl in her Easter dress:




And an anniversary:



There are some weeks that simply must have more than one photograph.

Mar. 19, 2008 - Project 52, Week 11: March 12-19

I lift up my eyes to the hills—
       where does my help come from?

 My help comes from the Lord,
       the Maker of heaven and earth.

 He will not let your foot slip—
       he who watches over you will not slumber;

 indeed, he who watches over Israel
       will neither slumber nor sleep.

 The Lord watches over you—
       the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

 the sun will not harm you by day,
       nor the moon by night.

 The Lord will keep you from all harm—
       he will watch over your life

the Lord will watch over your coming and going
       both now and forevermore.

Psalm 121

***

Spring is coming to our part of the world. The mountains are just emerging from their short winter nap. This week our first baby of the next generation was born, and this Psalm seems just right for baby Justus and his Mama and Daddy.

Mar. 12, 2008 - Project 52, Week 10: March 5-11

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:  when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade. 
~Charles Dickens


We may have had snow on Saturday for the first time, but by Monday we were back to 65 degrees. I wintered a big pot of impatiens on our sunporch, and this week I started the first cuttings. By the first of April I'll have a couple dozen impatiens with good strong roots, ready for planting.

Mar. 7, 2008 - Week 9: Feb. 28-March 4

Most days, this is what life looks like around here. Heads are bent over books, projects, or the computer. Jesse does the vast majority of his work at the computer. Algebra he does in his room where it's especially quiet, and he does some reading in the living room. Laurel and Duncan alternate between the living room and dining room.
 


It looks quiet here, doesn't it? Some days are like that. Mostly, there is constant commotion of some sort. The dog barks at random noises. The cat scratches on the door, wanting food. The phone rings. And rings and rings and rings. Duncan tears through the house, chasing the dog. Laurel practices her flute and the sound of Jesse's electric guitar drifts downstairs. My mom comes over to chat; my dad comes over to read the paper. This is the daily buzz of a family at home. In all their magic, photographs fail in that capacity: even a photograph of thousands of fans at a football game is silent.

Feb. 26, 2008 - Project 52, Week 8: Feb. 20-26

"We are tired of our huts
and the smoky smell of our clothing.

We are sick with the desire for the sun
And the grass on the mountain."
- Paiute Late Winter Song

This has been a gray week. I'm sure there's been sunshine, but, as Queen of the Hill says, the winter doldrums ultimately hit even those who aren't particularly affected by SADD.

I can relate to the Paiute and their late winter song. While my house does not smell smoky, it does smell closed. I long to push up the storm windows and open the screens. My skin wants to be warmed in the mid-afternoon soon. My lungs want a breath of spring.

Soon in that view from my front porch, that dogwood will flower, and that gray smudge of mountain will stand thick and green. Right now a single daffodil hangs defeated with winter's last wind; next week, perhaps, a dozen will flutter. Maybe more.

Feb. 19, 2008 - Project 52 Week 7, Feb. 13-19

Yep, it was pretty much all about me this past week, and here I am at 42. I've recently added reading glasses to my accessories. I think I look rather erudite, just like Kristina and JenIg. Actually, I've worn glasses since age 9 and contacts since 14, but the print on the Ibuprofen bottle was getting awfully small...

According to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, a race of vast pan-dimensional hyper-intelligent beings constructed the second greatest computer in all of time and space, Deep Thought,  to calculate The Ultimate Answer to The Great Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. After seven and a half million years of computing cycles, Deep Thought's answer is: forty two.

"I think the problem is that the question was too broadly based..."
"Forty two?!" yelled Loonquawl. "Is that all you've got to show for seven and a half million years' work?"
"I checked it very thoroughly," said the computer, "and that quite definitely is the answer. I think the problem, to be quite honest with you, is that you've never actually known what the question is."

Feb. 16, 2008 - Project 52, Week 6: Feb. 6-12

This week was all about my trip to Indianapolis for my college friend Suzie's 40th birthday party. To say "college friend" seems so limited; I use that only to indicate from which stage of my life she comes. But her friendship is certainly not relegated to the archives of college. We have spanned nearly 20 years and adventures from all-nighters in college to birthing babies.




The 7-8 hour trip itself was pure bliss. My very best college friend (again, a designation, not a limitation!) Tracy and I drove up together. She lives just 2 hours away from me but we rarely see each other because of our busy family lives. We talked non-stop the entire trip. And I do mean non-stop. We didn't even notice for a full hour that we'd been stopped in traffic on I-75.



Saturday we met the Indiana contingent and surprised Suzie during lunch at The Legend, the restaurant owned and operated by Tracy's sister and her husband.



After lunch, we kidnapped Suzie and filled our shopping carts at Trader Joe's. I feel optimistic that we'll get one in the Knoxville area soon! Tracy's cart included 8 boxes of her favorite raisin bran, which she can only find at Trader Joe's.



The next surprise for Suzie was that Angie had flown in from Atlanta. The four of us  had a couple of hours all by ourselves. Much to our delight/horror, Suzie pulled out the "minutes" from our "club" back in college. Wow. Yeah, so the story is,  our college didn't have sororities and we decided to make up our own. We met every Monday and discussed everything that was going on. I was the social director, so it was  my job to find out what bands were playing where. That's pretty much what we appeared to plan our lives around. Apparently there wasn't much studying going on, although there was a note that indicated I had a test coming up. I think the "one-minute of silence" for Andy Gibb superseded that, though. Suzie and Angie wanted to burn the notes, but Tracy and I felt strongly that these are an important historical document.



Our next stop was Steve and Giedra's house for the big birthday bash. Suzie's next surprise was that her whole family was there. And a lot of other people. The food was fabulous, and we especially enjoyedthe talent show in Suzie's honor.



There were skits, poems, scrapbooks, readings, and a couple of songs, including a performance by Steve, above.


Here we are, the four Rowenas. Everyone had to wear a nametag explaining how we knew Suzie. Ours read: "Original Friend. We knew her before you did." We are so silly.



Tracy and I left fairly early the next morning to head back to Tennessee. Of course, we had to stop outside Cincinnati at the Gap Clearance Center first. It's a tradition.



Seven more blissful hours of non-stop talking, and we arrived back at my house. It was fabulous to be home to my people again but hard to let Tracy go.


I think it took me about 4 days to recover from that trip. I wasn't physically tired, but it's funny how long it takes to get back into the swing of things. Boy, did I miss those sweet faces waiting back home for me. Life is good.

Feb. 5, 2008 - Project 52, Week 5: Jan. 30-Feb. 5

The groundhog may have declared another six weeks until spring, but these guys don't know it. These yellow crocuses will be joined by their purple cousins in a day or two, and the daffodils are soon to follow.


Daffodils in February. How could I have imagined, growing up in upstate New York, that such a thing could happen every year? Although I've been in Tennessee for a total of 15 years, still takes me by surprise.

Jan. 29, 2008 - Project 52, Week 4: Jan. 23-29

"What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life - to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories."
-- George Eliot


One of the joys of my life is having my parents living next door for nearly half the year. They have their own separate apartment, which is attached to our house, and they join us for evening meals. Evening meals nearly always end in a half-hour of good conversation and often extend into tea time and a game. I grew up in a game-playing, tea-drinking family. My last two years of high school were full of wonderful evenings. My four older brothers were in college or married, and, at long last, I had my parents all to myself. Every evening we played cards or Scrabble or backgammon, just the three of us, while drinking pot after pot of tea. It's a tradition I hope to cultivate in our own family. There is something precious shared in the moments while shuffling cards or sipping berry zinger.

Jan. 22, 2008 - Project 52, Week 3: January 16-22

"If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to
preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life."

~Rachel Carson

Jan. 15, 2008 - Project 52, Week 2: January 8-15

Chapter 4: How to Make a Cincinnati Fire Kite...

for hours of entertainment.

“If Huck Finn or Tom Sawyer were alive today, we’d say they had ADD or a conduct disorder. They [boys] are who they are, and we need to love them for who they are. Let’s not try to rewire them.”
— Michael Gurian, author of The Wonder of Boys 

Jan. 11, 2008 - Project 52, Week 1: January 1-8

"It's these Puritans," Kit sighed. "I'll never understand them. Why do they want life to be so solemn? I believe they actually enjoy it more that way."
"If you ask me," Nat replied stretched flat on his back, "it's all that schooling. It takes the fun out of life, being cooped up like that day after day... Mind you, it's not that I don't favor an education. A boy has to learn his numbers. ...and there's nothing like a book to keep you company on a long voyage."
~from The Witch of Blackbird Pond

(A book, some sunshine, and a cat, that is.)

Jan. 5, 2008 - Project 365: The Last Week

And so at last we come to the end of Project 365. Fifty-two weeks of diligently documenting our life through photos. I have more than one week's worth of photos in this post because a lot happens between Dec. 23 and January 1st.


First, there are last minute Christmas projects to finish, like this stocking that Laurel made for our dog.


And then, of course, there is Christmas Eve ...


After an early church service on Christmas Eve, we come home to abundant appetizers and a night of traditions:



A little storytelling...



My mother's famous cranberry punch...



My father reads Twas the Night Before Christmas,



And Randy reads from the Gospel of Luke.



And a nice new addition to our very traditional night: Laurel plays "Silent Night" on her our flute.



How is it that the  tree invariably looks the most beautiful on Christmas Eve?


And then, of course, there is Christmas Day itself. After opening stockings, we have a big breakfast and then get down to business.


Having my parents always with us on Christmas these past 7 years is a joy so deep I can't properly express it. I cherish these years with them.



The racetrack from my parents to Duncan was probably the biggest hit with the kids...



And the motorized marbleworks we got for Duncan turned out to be so  complicated that it took my nephew, Owen, and Laurel an hour to put together.



After gifts, a feast, and naps on the couch, we transition to Duncan's birthday. This child's smile could bring joy to even the hardest heart.


And the day after Christmas, we celebrate Randy's birthday...


This year we took one more trip to Dollywood for his birthday,



And then came home for presents and the other half of Duncan's birthday cake.



We had a few days to recuperate from all this hard work before heading down to Charlotte, NC, to be with Randy's family for New Year's. And in Charlotte we nearly collapsed from the strain of the arduous activities:


playing pool...



reading by the fire,



doing crossword puzzles,



playing computer games,



mindlessly surfing the internet,



and eating Greg's amazing culinary delights. Too bad I don't have any photos of us all in the hot tub on the deck overlooking the golf course at sunset. Yup. It was a hard weekend.



We did get out and exercise once, at the Whitewater Olympic Training Center. But mostly on that day we just watched other people doing strenuous things, like trying to scale the climbing walls.




And so, the year comes to an end and with it my dedication to taking 365 photos. This project has been an amazing experience. I have always enjoyed taking photos, but taking purposeful photos of everyday life this past year has been completely different than focusing on "event" photos. But it's also been time-consuming to make this weekly post. Very, very time consuming. And so, coming up in 2008, I'm going to switch to Project 52. My goal is to select one photo each week that sums up our week. That may be more of a challenge than I'm bargaining for, but I am loath to part with the photojourney entirely. And so I'd better get that camera out again....

Dec. 23, 2007 - Project 365 Weeks 50-51: Dec. 10-23

These past two weeks before Christmas have been filled with friends, family, cookies, and warmth. The parties and performances are over, and our house is quiet.


Our support group had its annual Christmas program on Dec. 11. Laurel performed with her Shakespeare class (above)...



And she also read a report on deaf performer Linda Bove while classmate Lydia signed the report (above). Thanks to Lynn Freeny for both of those photos!



We got lots of good school in these past couple of weeks, as the usual weekly activities have ceased until January, leaving us with large blocks of time devoted to hitting the books. As usual in Tennessee, we've had lovely weather and days warm enough to do picnic-table school.



Dec. 13 brought our annual Mother/Daughter/Grandmother Tea for American Heritage Girls. We had about 140 moms, daughters, grandmothers, or other special friends in attendance. This is always a favorite event, and we had a new mom volunteer to organize the tea. She did a fabulous job!



Cookies. We made them about every day.



My brother John borrowed Jesse for a day to help him pick strawberries in the greenhouse, and then he came over for dinner and gift delivery. We played Duncan's new Leapin' Frogs game for an hour!



I got my house nice and clean for the annual Moms' Ornament and Cookie Exchange, held at my home this year. Three whole days later and my house is still clean!



I love the cookies and the gifts and the clean house and the parties, but here's the very best part of Christmas: I get to have my honey home, just to hang out and relax. Also, he does the grocery shopping, cooks, does dishes, and folds laundry, but really really really--I'm happy just to have him home. He's a fun guy.

Dec. 9, 2007 - Project 365 Week 49: Dec. 3-9

This has been a week of Christmas preparation for us, starting with getting the tree last Saturday. After putting up the tree, we get to open up the big tubs of decorations and greet them like old friends. Below are just a few of our favorites.


The Advent Stockings and Mittens
Each one contains a Scripture verse, and, some years, three pieces of candy. The kids take turns removing a stocking or mitten and sharing the verse. This year we are short on candy but not on enthusiasm.



Mr. and Mrs. Egg-Head Claus
They are possibly my most cherished heirloom. I am not sure if these came from my grandparents or my Great-Aunt Flossie, but I treasure their cheery chipped faces.



The Choir Boys
When I was growing up, my mother decorated the mantle the same way each year. To alter the arrangement would have been a terrible thing. On one end stood the choir boys. Every year my mother would say they were her four boys: James and John together, then Peter and Stephen. I was never offended that I wasn't represented in this quartet. Behind the Boys is the book of Christmas Carols that my mother and I played from throughout the season. I am honored to have it at my own house now, and playing those songs from this particular book makes me melt with happiness.



The Christmas Fairies
The Fairies stood at the other end of the mantle, far away from the Choir Boys. The two foursomes did not keep company, as these fairies are obviously too ethereal to consort with the likes of common boys. I suppose I fancied myself one of these fairies (the one in pink, to be exact), and I loved them all. Even the short, strict one. I suppose the Fairies kept me from feeling left out that I wasn't a choir boy.



The Nativity
And in the middle of the mantle was the Nativity Scene. But not this one. My mother still puts up the creche every year over at her house. The manger remains empty until Christmas morning, when Baby Jesus arrive wrapped in gauze. I am happy that my mother still puts up the family creche each year. I have never found a scene that please me as much as my mother's, but I do love this simple one that my friend Suzie made for us years and years ago.



Noel Noel
This is a countdown tree I made years ago, when Laurel was just born. The kids add a tiny ornament to the tree each day until Christmas. The verse below is part of an e.e. cummings poem: "And my little sister and I will take hands and looking up at our beautiful tree we'll dance and sing 'Noel Noel.'" I love that poem.



The Books
The Christmas book collection is an essential part of the season. With Jesse's first Christmas came A Wish for Wings that Work and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and we've added a few every year since. We know each one intimately, having read them over and over for the past 14 years.  My very favorite: The Tale of the Three Trees.



And it's also been a week of performances for all three kids.


I'll post more about the performances on my regular blog, but here's Laurel dressed in her hip-hop outfit for "Annie."



And in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, we didn't forget the birthday of our sweet Daisy.  Her bark may be sharp and dreadful, but she is a precious part of our family.


 And at the end of it all, I have a bad cold and I am thankful to be able to curl up with a good book and nap, while Randy tackles the grocery list, the meals, and the dishes.

Dec. 3, 2007 - Project 365 Weeks 47-48: Nov. 19-Dec. 2

Only four weeks left of this monumental project! I'm afraid I've dwindled terribly in the past couple of months, but perhaps I'll get serious these last weeks and diligently take photos. In the meantime, here's just a bit of what's been going on here these past two weeks:



Animals
Duncan and Laurel have had a renewed interested in stuffed animals recently. I love it. All those bins full of neglected animals are once again getting loved.



The 80s
Blogless Leigh, BrownSugar and I enjoyed hanging out at the 80s Dance for our support group's teens.  Our 80s outfits were less than stellar, but Blogless Leigh did have good hair.


The teens themselves were much better dressed for the occasion. Lots of Madonna and Miami Vice looks going on. I haven't seen so many leg warmers in a long, long time. And I hope I won't for a long, long time again.



Christmas Season begins.
We're off to get the tree a little earlier this year, for no other reason than that we needed to get it today or it would be nearly Christmas before we had another Saturday free.


No snow...no chestnuts roasting....but what a beautiful day to get a tree anyway!


Look at those sweet people. They are my family, and I love them. (Oh, there's JESSE, too, but he and BRYANT, who apparently also lives with us, were sleeping....)

And so. The tree is now up and decorated, and the rest of the decorations are strewn throughout the living room. Boxes and bells are topsy-turvy, and we're somewhere between pumpkins and poinsettias in our living room. This week, I'll get serious.