Friday
My work is consuming everything else just now, and I’m aching for a return to our usual routine. Soon, soon. But the very best things we do seem to be pegged firmly in place after all these years, even when we’re beset with upheavals of one kind or another—chief among the ‘best things’ being good books, long walks, and time spent watching plants grow. Our German studies are pretty well pegged to a specific time of day now, too. Earworms for Rose and Bean (with the two youngest kids listening in and absorbing a great deal), and Memrise for me. I’ll start the girls on a German course at Memrise soon. (Beanie is doing state capitals there, though, and having a fine time. And we’ve finished the Trees of England course!) As for Jane, she’s plugging away at Japanese with Earworms and Pimsleur.
The sourdough starter is coming along quite nicely. It’s about ready to bake with, as soon as I get a chance. Rilla has appointed herself Chief Assistant Starter-Feeder. She loves to peek inside the crock a few hours after feeding time to see how high and fluffy the starter has grown.
The word “crock” reminds me that I JUST DISCOVERED YOU CAN MAKE CHEESECAKE IN THE CROCKPOT!!!! Amusingly, I learned this at Pinterest mere minutes after declaring that I can’t bear to look at Pinterest right now because of all the Christmas cheer. I am so not there yet. If anybody uses the words “Advent” and “this weekend” in a sentence together, I shall scream, I’m warning you.
Great conversation about blogging going on over at Jenn’s. I chimed in to express my angst over photos, which you’ve heard from me plenty of times before. These days, I hardly ever use my camera (it’s never been the same since I dropped it on the street); I snap quick pics with my phone and am exactly the kind of Instagram-filter-applying hack that real photographers scoff at.
Snapped on our morning walk. I have a whole string of #morningwalk photos. I love Instagram because it means I’m finally keeping that photo-a-day journal I always meant to do. Of course this means nearly all my photos are: the trees of our neighborhood; the sky over our neighborhood; children with books on their faces; the living-room floor with children all over it; and the inside of my crock of starter.
sarah says:
I hope the fact of your work consuming so much of your time means that soonsoon we will get a new Melissa Wiley book!
I am loving your real-life-good-life photos. They have so much more value than fancy art.
On November 30, 2012 at 3:02 pm
tanita says:
>>If anybody uses the words “Advent” and “this weekend” in a sentence together, I shall scream, I’m warning you.<<
I laugh and laugh.
I went into an Asian market BEFORE THANKSGIVING and was horrified and driven out by Thai Christmas carols. It was horrifying. I am SO not there, either, and have not one thing ready, and we keep getting emails from our choir director about extra rehearsals beginning tomorrow…. yikes, yikes, yikes
On November 30, 2012 at 3:06 pm
Penny says:
I love your photos – these types especially. You know what to capture, and how. They always make me smile. And you don’t go overboard with them.
I read your comments about blogs without photos at As Cozy As Spring (fabulous place, btw), and as much as I like photos, blogs with more photos than words drive me crazy. I’d FAR rather read a blog with one or very few photos. I guess I’m the odd one though, at least according to your theory! 🙂
On November 30, 2012 at 3:06 pm
Melissa Wiley says:
Tanita: Here’s a picture I took—in horror—in Target the day before Halloween. It’s just silly!
On November 30, 2012 at 3:17 pm
Margaret in MN says:
Just went over to Memrise to check out the state capital game. Have to say, a couple of the mems were a little off-putting, e.g. the Californication one. Do you know if you can change them?
On November 30, 2012 at 4:03 pm
Melissa Wiley says:
Eek, I haven’t encountered that one! I think they pop up randomly. You can create your own (which is what I do for German, mostly) or you can scroll through other people’s until you find one you like. For the state capitals, we are using Mrs. Jones’s 4th-grade Class mems. This option usually pops up first for us!
On November 30, 2012 at 4:26 pm
MelanieB says:
I love your photos because they are so you. It’s what you choose to capture that makes them a window into your world.
I’m actually mourning my camera a bit. I left it in Texas and my mom hasn’t got round to sending it yet. At this point I’m just hoping she brings it with her when she comes up for the baby’s birth. My phone takes decent pictures but is always running out of memory at inconvenient times and sometimes I just can’t get the shot I want like when Sophie caught a nifty moth. I know if I’d had my camera I could have got the picture to be in focus. It had nothing to do with the fact that the moth didn’t want to stay still.
On November 30, 2012 at 6:07 pm