Luckybeans

Keeping It Silly

When my brother and I were growing up, my father always devised a series of clues and puzzles that would (eventually) lead us to our Ayyam'i'Ha presents. It was terrific. Simon and I have followed suit, supplying our own children with various clues to lead them on to their own loot. This year we noticed an especially large ability gap between the problem-solving skills inherent in an eight year old and those possessed by a fourteen year old. So we opted for silly rather than smart.

Day one saw the children challenged by a laser course. They had to use all of ther ninja skills to make their way through the yarn-lasers, retrieve their present, and return unscathed and victorious! (The photos are horrid, it was night):

Day two they faced the horrendous zombie monster, relying on their stealthiness to sneak up and grab the map from its back pocket:

On day three, daddy told them they had to race to the balloons and retrieve their clues from inside each one (their individual balloons were marked with their individual mustaches, of course):

Only then he cut the strings as they dashed forward:

An additional clue led them to a long piece of string, a roll of tape and another balloon. Working together, they figured out how to use a tape-covered balloon to fish down their other balloons:

We then had our first experience inhaling helium (oh hilarity),

and extracted the necessary information to get presents.

Today they had to eat their way through a pile of whipping cream (no hands!) to uncover the code that opened the combination lock that protected the key that opened the door to their presents:

Silly, we have decided, is very good indeed.

 

Wrap

There were a lot of puns running through my head for the title of this post, but I kindly spare you my nonesense.

One of the ways I tried to simplify things a wee bit this time around was to not spend any money on wrapping supplies. This meant that we first of all re-used gift bags, tissue paper and ribbon from previous gifts, secondly relied on standards like baskets and play silks, and thirdly used what we could find on hand. This also meant that one day, everything was placed in bakery boxes with the croissant crumbs brushed out of the bottom. The tags had been around since last Ayyam'i'Ha (I always save tags to be reused as we seem to have the same people in our family each year. Hunh), although I did add that green paint-chip circle, and the twine is hemp gardening twine.

It also meant that I got creative as the only paper I had was a roll of postal parcel wrapping paper, and a small square of blue. But combine that with a white pen and some more of that hemp twine, a run to snag a few paint chips, a rummage around for some bamboo skewers in the back of a kitchen drawer, and I must say we ended up with our favourite wrapping job ever:

Although that one year I gave Lukas his present in the body of a giant paper crane was pretty cool, too.

And that's a wrap. (Sorry).

Happy Days Are Here Again

I can't believe I wrote that. Particularly as I don't even know what that cliche is referencing. Hmn.

All of the decorations are up, from the dots to the pocket board to the lovely flowers from the Lapotres. The perfume of a single blooming hyacinth is just right.

Ayyam'i'Ha is sometimes called "the days outside of time", which is absolutely magical if ever anything were. It is a time to focus on family and community, gift-giving, hospitality and charity. And so we apply ourselves as best we can, a few days of joy and festivity before we begin the period of fasting.

The children (and Simon, Grandma and I) made gifts for their friends-- mushroom pencils inspired by this post.

Grandma even came and spent the night (she might again later this week).

We brought Grandpa bags of cookies, both for himself and to share with the friends and staff who visit and help care for him.

We went to a big community party and hosted a smaller one in our home. Over the next few days, many special meals will be prepared and shared.

The girls are participating in a habitat restoration project, and Asher packed a big bag of food to donate to the food bank.

Of course there are gift exchanges occurring at home as well. I try to keep things somewhat moderate. We started with gifts that focused on an activity each child might enjoy. Ana received a stamp-carving set I assembled for her, greatly inspired by Gennine's work; Bella got a new apron, a mini-cupcake maker, and decorations (she also got an electric mixer from my mother!); Asher finally got his real drum, brought back from Malawi and made with the proper wood.

I am particularly fond of this gift: mug of tea with a handstitched tiny button tag.

Full, sweet days, squeezed in around schedules determined by a world that doesn't pause to accomodate them. But, oh! We enjoy them all the same.

Ayyam'i'Ha is coming...

We are starting to prepare and see the signs!

Parcels arriving in the mail (this one has sea urchin illustrations via St. Lucia).

People busy working on gifts for others.

Piles of said gifts beginning to accumulate.

Paper cranes laid out on the nature table.

Paper balls spinning from the ceilings.

The first wee daffodil even popped up to add its cheerful nodding to the festivities.

This is getting decidedly good...

Busy?

Oh, yes. In some ways (most ways) wonderfully so. Although two large projects loom on the horizon, this week's sole essay is on poetry (thank you for small graces), and we are doing our best to prepare for Ayyam'i'Ha! An update on that tomorrow, perhaps. And that Hidden Word. I did mention it has been busy, didn't I?

This weekend, Simon and i got a morning with just our boy as his sisters were at a sleepover. For once, the giggling of girls was elsewhere and the quiet was here. Oh. Asher spent a happy morning following us about, revelling in having the full attention of two parents all to himself. He worked hard on a birthday card for his friend.

And helped me (finally) clear away the cedar and pomegranates to be fed to the fire. I find I am often struck by how much smaller or younger he is than his sisters. But this time, I was struck by how very capable he is becoming, and by what good company he has become.

Not that we didn't enjoy having the sisters return. They have a spark all their own.

We ran errands in Corvallis on Sunday, and stopped to have a picnic lunch (how do you crack hradboiled eggs in your family?) and inspect the train in Avery park.

When things are so very busy, when the to-do lists are at their longest, things like this keep me going. And now I must be going back to class and the library and poetry.

 

 

Hoo boy!

First of all, thank you so much you sweet, kind people of the internets. My shoulder is slowly (but steadily) improving thanks to a barrage of ibuprofen, massage, heat packs, hot showers and deep heat. I wake up feeling pretty good most mornings, but sitting in the hard classroom chairs usually does me in. It's getting there, though.

So. Berries. Have I mentioned how glad I am that we froze something like eighty pounds of berries last summer? I know spring is supposed to arrive soon, but those berries sure do keep us happy. We eat them on cereal or in smoothies, in crumbles and porridge and pies and applesauce. And we eat them with great abandon and a sense of generosity. The applesauce and tomoatoes are about halfway finished now, but I think the berries are still going strong!

 Also? Flowers. Primroses out and a bouquet from my dear Simon in. I have been thinking about how truly grateful I am to have him around. I honestly could not imagine doing this whole "getting through life" business without him.

Not much to add here. Just wanted to record these passing things. Hidden Word later...

 

Some Things...

...simply are not meant to be shared. There are always those aspects of life, often where my own intersects or overlaps with others, that must have their privacy respected. Personal struggles, family crises. What someone looks like with a gloopy, peel-off mask on. As the children grow, they are having more and more say in what I post here.

Although, along similar lines, I am not always particularly forthright either. I have a doctor's appointment for tomorrow afternoon because my entire right shoulder, neck and upper back have seized. I am in so much pain it is affecting my vision. So. Normally I would not share this. But, you know, perhaps I ought to record it-- a reminder of what can occur when we take on too much, invest in the not-quite-right, try to be everything to everyone. Because I suspect I am not the only one.

Polishing

It has been a very difficult week for me. I am absolutely exhausted, both physically and emotionally. 

I found myself doing some strange things. Like polishing the silver teaset because it let me stop and think about my grandparents.

And cleaning my boots that I wear almost everyday because it helped me to stop and do something completely menial that was an immense relief.

(I also drank an inordinate amount of tea).

Simon is coming home today. That always helps, too.

Edited to add: My boots are Merrell's Waterproof Tetra Launch. I love them. I do a lot of walking and in a lot wet weather. They are extremely comfortable and I wear them with everything from jeans to leggings to skirts and dresses. They are still widely available online. As I said, I wear them almost every single day! The slightly lighter leather bits in the photo were due to the soap still being on the leather, by the way. They have worn very well.

Hidden Words Numbers 16 and 17

Oops. I keep forgetting to post these. Ahem.

Hidden Word 16 is:

O SON OF LIGHT!

Forget all save Me and commune with My spirit. This is of the essence of My command, therefore turn unto it.

~Baha'u'llah

For this one, we discussed that forgetting everything except for God isn't so much about spending your life sitting in a cave doing nothing but praying and meditating. Instead, it is about bringing that prayerful state and approach into our daily actions. 

To help us be mindful of times when we remembered to do this, we made simple books (card paper covers hole-punched and all bound together with binder rings) to record some of these times over the course of the week.

 

Please excuse the bad lighting, bed-heads and pajamas. Reality.

 

 

Hidden Word 17 is:

O SON OF MAN!

Be thou content with Me and seek no other helper. For none but Me can ever suffice thee.

~Baha'u'llah

Here we discussed the reliability of God; how God provides for us precisely what we need in an internal, meaningful way. We contrasted this with material happines, and also talked about the dual aspects of God as the Omnipotent (all powerful) and the Omniscient (all knowing). This in turn led us to refelct on the importance of trusting in the Will of God and adapting a grateful attitude, even in apparantly difficult times (something I have been thinking about a LOT recently). We actually talked quite a lot and had to stop for a tea/snack break.

We then did simple crayon drawings of times when we had called for help, or times when we need to do so more!

 

A bit more sunshine was around this time! The things we identified were: when Lukas and April moved away (Bella), controling her temper (Ana), balancing the many demands and responsibilities I have (me) and dealing with other people's less-than-positive emotions (Asher).

Endings and Beginnings

This past week, we ate our way through the last of the vegetables still in the garden. All that remains now is a row of kale, and a few carrots and things waiting for the spring to take off again. Really, it has been remarkable how well things held up and how long they lasted. Next year I hope to remember to plant lots more bok choy! And maybe some favas if I find the seeds.

All of this means a gathering and sorting of what seeds we have and what to look for and replenish. You can see where we are on this pinterest board (I also hope to keep notes on when things are planted and how they do). I am still looking for some yellow patty pans and a few more varieties of asian veg. It may be a dim and rainy morning, but we are looking forward...