i’m taking a break from enchilada prep to jot down my recipe here so i don’t lose it (as i have one, two, three times before) again.  i’m still wearing my pajamas & slippers.  of course we did our school work & house work & memory work…but 3 of 4 easleys were in their pajamas for all of that.  henry had a hair cut & thus needed a bath afterward to recover from the trauma.  30 seconds of torture…4 weeks of cuteness.

there’s a broken blanket fort in the family room, legos & skateboard wheels scattered on the table, and the house smells like freshly pressed garlic & sauteed mushrooms.  during this rare noon hour, all three students are napping (or pretending to nap) and i am in a state of euphoria at the chance to cook up a scrumptious favorite with the sun coming through the kitchen windows and some songs that inspire contemplation.

now, for the recipe.  i’ll post the basics and then add a footnote to my weird additions (that are usually added to compensate for having small kids & them not liking a lot of spice quite yet).

(will add recipe when i finish)

do you get the same feeling i get when you listen to sufjan’s “holy, holy, holy”?  listening to those truths sung with harmonies that are full of delicate longing remind me that i hunger for god.  that i want to be close with him.  temporaries seem to fade & i’m reminded of gentleness in my heart that is often neglected or quieted by necessity/task/function.  still.  fragile.  humble.  awestruck.

a friend of ours passed into glory early this morning.  i don’t know the details & mourn with the family at their loss of father/grandfather/husband here on earth.  but as i drove my girls to ballet class this morning, i was full of that same awe at imagining a soul newly entering the presence of our lord.  as we drove & listened to “before the throne”, i kept circling around these verses:

Behold Him there, the risen Lamb,
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace.
One with Himself, I cannot die,
My soul is purchased by His blood.
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God!

you know that feeling when you can’t do anything well cuz you’re doing so many things?  i’m so glad the weekend has passed–tuesday, you never looked so nice!  is that a new skirt?  new hair-do? oh i just love it on you, tuesday!

we had a show at our house featuring three really great musicians, matt haeck, joe garner, & randolph robinson who were traveling through.  i’d only heard matt’s music before and was delighted to heard the other fellas tunes, as well.  we had austin/becky join us for viewing on ichat.

it was a night of fantastic live music. i love love love music in common spaces WAY MORE than music in cafes/bars/etc. subtleties are delightful, and so were the cookies.

corrie hosted an art day at her place last saturday, which turned into an overnighter (yay!).  we listened to great music and enjoyed friends and creating collectively on our individual projects.  we ended the night with popcorn and brokedown palace.  i worked on a collage inspired by anne truitt’s writing in daybook.  my favorite typewriter has red ink ribbon!

and also i’ve been thinking about these verses from lamentations today:

my brother-in-law, cam, roasts coffee from home using sweet maria’s beans & a popcorn popper.  oh la!  it is so fresh and so tasty.

we’re hosting a concert @ our house on sunday night.  matt haeck & friends will be playing at 8pm.  come enjoy some coffee/tea & great music.

i love thursdays.  we never have plans on thursdays.  good coffee, an episode of the little einsteins, & an empty slate for learning, cleaning, & enjoying each other.

it feels like god pushed my “restart” button.  i love it when that happens.  a gift.

we usually end up at the korner cafe in farmington while violet takes her ballet lesson.  we take our school work & colored pencils.  our order is the same every week: cinnamon roll, biscuits & gravy, & a black coffee.  this week we enjoyed a free sample of pumpkin soft serve at the end of our breakfast—wow!

after being with friends in omaha & returning to life here with a bit more gusto, i found an open mic and made myself go.  my orders from my pardner: just decide to keep at it/don’t get down if the evening lacks musical chemistry.  the venue was great, people friendly, & the music was thoughtful & well-played.  my only complaints: hardly any original material, too much “jamming”, & can’t these things start @ 8am?!  ha.  2am bedtime is a tough-sell for me, but i’m trying to be flexible.

i’m participating in the kitchen cure and have been applying the de-cluttering principles to other areas of life.  you start by taking stock by snapping photos of all your cabinets.  then you start consolidating & tossing.  things that you haven’t used in awhile or that you thought you might like but haven’t used, you toss.

i could post some before & after photos eventually, except the point isn’t to have something to show for, but to enjoy the flow of your life (in the kitchen or elsewhere) with ease & fluidity.  so i’m tossing things that don’t enhance my life or aide me in doing my work…and making time/space for the things that do.  i dropped facebook for more time with my typewriter.  i’m working on sleeping “in” a bit more so i can participate in performing live music on a more consistent basis.  i’m trading my “i hate the telephone” line for a hot line to my nearest & dearest more frequently.  reassess.  figure out what works/what hampers/what motivates/what drains.

i got home late thursday night & walked into the basement to get my pajamas.  my slippers were soon sopping wet & i spent the first half of the 2a.m. hour vacuuming water from the floor.  whenever this happens my mind returns to marilynne robinson’s housekeeping & then i usually end up dreaming about the train falling into the lake or a dimly lit shack-house.

it’s saturday & everyone’s ready to bundle up & enjoy a hike.  we’ve been listening to robert plant & alison kraus’ collaboration. hope your saturday morning is cozy & full of love!