Sunday, October 25, 2009

"Oh, hushed October morning mild"

Oh, how I love October. The weather has been so beautiful, and the leaves are incredible. Almost every afternoon, as soon as Marty gets home from school, our little family throws on sweaters and goes outside for a walk. I wanted to put up a picture of the bundled Dot with her papa, but our laptop won't cooperate. So, just imagine the cutest Dot ever grinning a bit goofy grin all wrapped up for the fall wind.

Yesterday, we finally had our production meeting for the house! We were able to pick out all the colors for our siding, bathrooms, countertops, shingles, cabinets, carpets, etc. Tomorrow I drop off some paperwork, and as soon as our permits come through the foundation will go in! If all goes well, the house will be delivered before Christmas and local work will begin! It was such a feeling of relief when we got into our apartment--just being able to have all our stuff out and being in our own space--I can't imagine how wonderful the house will be!

In baby news, everything has been looking good at the doctor's. They just told me I need to start putting on weight--ha! I told them I will try as soon as all my food stays down. Fair enough. Can't wait to hear the little heartbeat again in a few weeks and to (hopefully) find out the sex in December!

1. surprise daisies from the handsome husband
2. a napping baby girl and papa man
3. playing the piano--and all the teachers who put up with me!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

To Autumn

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

"Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

"Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies."

~John Keats~
mmm mmm good

1. poetry
2. apple cider
3. the first ultrasound and heartbeat of #2

Monday, October 5, 2009

Some books for the little ones

While I was in school at
Framingham State College,
I worked part time in the curriculum section of the library.
This section houses all the teaching materials
for the large teacher training program
and is also connected to all of the children's and YA lit.
I spent HOURS putting away children's books,
occasionally sneaking a few minutes to read through a book or two.
These happen to be two of my favorites I discovered:

I love reading to Dorothy,
and I love that I love the books I get to read to her.
Winter is the Warmest Season is a great book
for looking at something with a different perspective.
It is all about how winter is really the warmest time of year
with warm foods, clothes, burning fires and candles,
blankets piled on beds, and warm baths.
I know that I have a predilection for cooler weather,
but this book is still a fun way to look at winter
even if you don't like the cold.
Hailstones and Halibut Bones is a wonderful
collection of poetry about the colors.
For each color,
the author has thought of objects, smells, feelings,
and all sorts of other things that relate to that color
and woven her thoughts into poems for each.
Dorothy loves listening to these poems
and looking at the pictures.
I think she likes the rhythm of the poetry,
and I love that it is also teaching her about colors.
I hope some of you are able to enjoy these books
as much as we do!
Happy Reading!
1. conference weekend
2. a fantastic daughter
3. the tender mercy of a break from the nausea so I could enjoy all the talks