That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, They stretched in never-ending line Along the margin of a bay: Ten thousand saw I at a glance, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: A poet could not but be gay, In such a jocund company: I gazed—and gazed—but little thought What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood, They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude; And then my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils.
***
This was the first one. I memorized this in the summer of 2016 (is that right?) when I started working at AIT. I took the kids to Camp Snoopy every day before work, drop them off, work 8 hours, pick them up, make the trek home. What a treasure that summer was - the kids saw Gma and Gpa every day. Pool time, adventures, chores.
I tasked the kids with memorizing a poem. Some were more serious than others about the assignment. Something clicked for me and I wanted more, so I've been on this little journey since then.
We're well into Work From Home, School From Home, Facemasks Everywhere mode.
It has become so normal to see facemasks on everyone that when we're watching TV, I'm surprised to see people not wearing them. Before we walk out the door from home - do you have a mask? Maybe we have an extra in the car. With really no end in sight. The school district just announced students will stay home "until further notice." The teachers are doing "daily check-ins" where students are supposed to put happy or sad faces into a chart or something - is this supposed to be how they take care of the kids' emotional health? Jumping jacks in the bedroom for gym class. These are strange times.
We've gotten into a new groove. No Scouts and no Skating but we've got other stuff now. I go for a walk every day after work and sometimes a kid or two will join me. Archer's got a job that gets him out of the house. Shelly and Eli are D&D gaming with some other kids. David has started repainting the inside of our house, one section at a time. Grandma & Grandpa show up with lunch for the kids every once in awhile, a nice diversion from the school schedule. More family time, for better or for worse, more family time. So much family time.
After being home for more than two months, working on a little card table with a view out the window, I'll be going back to work in the office next week. This has been stressful and wonderful and so very strange. Everyone wears face masks at the grocery store now and when I don't have one on, I feel like I'm doing something wrong. Everyone stands in the checkout line at a distance and when someone stands only two feet away from me I feel like they're crowding me and doing something wrong. When Shelly and I dropped off groceries for Grandma Sue we chatted but kept our distance. No hugs anymore. And I'm so very grateful that I live in this home with four other people who can never get enough hugs and high fives and cuddles. And sad for those who don't have that.
We're all done with school for the school year - I declared that we'd be done because the endless worksheets and writing assignments just don't seem worth the anxiety they're causing. We wrapped it up a week early and Eli and Shelly played made-up games outside to pretend it was Field Day and came back in sweaty and exhausted and smiling. Archer took his final exam for his last math class at 2:00 this morning and now we're officially done. And as the kids wrap up school and I go back to the office, it seems things are finally starting to get back to normal, a little bit.
I'm going to miss the bird, squirrel, bunny watching out my window. I'm going to miss the stream of non-stop hugs all day long. I'm going to miss wearing slippers while I work. But I'm really looking forward to the kids getting their summer adventures started, and getting back to the office with my colleagues so I can chat with them throughout the day, instead of working alone and seeing their faces only once a week on a video call. Somehow I feel like a vacation is ending, even though I've been working this whole time. At the same time, vacation is just beginning for the kids. And the grandparents are already making plans for some fun!
Here's to recognizing what we have, hoping things get closer to "normal" soon, and looking forward to what's to come!
A savory treat from my mom, original recipe from Bampa's brother Kim. These never sit around for long when they arrive from Grandma's treats stash.
No Bake Savory Pretzels
Ingredients
30 oz pretzels
12 oz butter flavored oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 oz packet powdered Ranch salad dressing mix
Instructions
1. Spread the pretzels evenly on a cookie sheet
2. Whisk together the oil, ranch dressing, garlic powder & cajun seasoning
3. Pour the mixture over the pretzels in the pan and stir to coat
4. Sprinkle w/ grated parmesan cheese and stir
5. Bake for approximately 3 hours, stirring every 15 minutes
Why we love it
I can't EXACTLY explain it, other than to say - once you start, you just can't stop. These leave us grabbing for just one more, and licking our fingers and sad when they're suddenly gone. How did they all disappear QUITE that fast???
Next Up...
I've only made this a couple of times but we all loved it. I've vowed to only make this for group events because I don't want us to eat the whole delicious batch ourselves, it's just so rich!
Half a 1 lb bag of mini pretzels, broken into pieces
2 Sticks butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
18 oz semisweet chocolate chips (1 and a half 12 oz bags)
Sea salt
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, cover with a layer of the broken pretzel pieces.
2. In a medium saucepan on medium heat, add the butter and brown sugar. Once the mixture starts to bubble, set a timer for 3 minutes and allow to simmer without stirring. After 3 minutes, pour the hot caramel mixture over the pretzels in back and forth motion to cover the pretzels. A few bare spots are ok, it'll all bake together in the end.
3. Bake for 5 minutes, then spread the chocolate chips evenly over the pretzels. Put the pan back in the oven to help the chocolate melt. Once it's all melted, remove from oven, sprinkle with sea salt.
4. Refrigerate until set. Once it's all cooled, break into bite size pieces. (After it's set, you don't have to refrigerate any further.)
Why we love it
Buttery, crunchy, salty, sweet. Of COURSE we love it!
Its right around November 15th every year that we
start seeing the “Countdown to Christmas” messages everywhere. The stores have
already pulled out all the Christmas stuff and by the time we get to
Thanksgiving, we’re hearing the music everywhere. I don’t think it’s a huge
secret that I’m not a big fan of Christmas, I don’t like the pressure to make
my house look a certain way and spend a bunch of money on stuff we don’t need.
But. Mostly I try to keep my sentiments to myself. Last year, the five of us
all finally officially gave up on celebrating with Santa. The youngest kid
knows. We (the parents) can stop trying so hard to hide everything (we were
never very good at that) and we can just be up front about the packages that
keep arriving at our doorstep leading up to the big day. So that was a step
towards making Christmas all around better this year.
David and the kids worked SO HARD to get everything ready.
Many dozens of cookies made (thanks Eli, Shelly, David). Dishes and more dishes
(thankyou Faithful Dishwasher for all
your hard work!). Vacuum the living room, again and again (thanks Archer J). All the windows
washed (Wow! David!!!). Laundry, more dishes, more vacuuming, dusting.
Now on to the real joy of Christmas, what we all know we’re
supposed to be enjoying, but it gets lost in the stress… Family Time. Time
Together.
It happened this year – we really had a chance to ENJOY each
other. Nana came on Christmas Eve, along with Bampa and Grandma Shell and we
had a wonderful evening together. The stories, the silliness, so many hugs for
everyone. Archer snuggled up next to Nana for an hour or two while we watched a
show, then everyone headed off to bed.
Then on Christmas Day, it was the Fortiers’ turn to take
over the house – little by little they trickled in and the house warmed up. We
were missing only 2 of the entire clan and with a group that large, I’d say
that was an amazing accomplishment. To have just about everyone there was
amazing. Christmas has changed so much over the years that I’ve been a part of
this family. All of the grandchildren are growing up, there’s not so much
screaming (with joy) and crying. Not so much of all the kids mobbing
Christopher’s legs and wrestling him to the ground to pile on top of the oldest
cousin. There’s more talk of dating (bleh!! I don’t wanna know!!), jobs,
travelling and the BIG topic this year is who is newly driving, or about to be
driving, or could be driving by now but isn’t…
After food and presents, the
kids found a game to play together and this is where I have to say, I could not
have pictured this 15 years ago. I probably would not have said, “It’s great
that they’re all playing video games!” We always hear about kids and “too much
screen time.” But Christopher told his cousins that he wanted to spend some
time with them and they ALL (that’s 9 kids aged 9 through 25) piled into the
boys’ bedroom for a game on their phones/tablets/computers. They found a game
that all of them could play together. Screen time, yes. FUN TIME with cousins,
DEFINITELY. We had such a great time, I was sorry to kick everyone out at 9:00
because some of us had to work the next day.
I would say it was definitely one of the best Christmases
yet – so much wonderful family time connecting with everyone. Thanks to all who
came over, brought stuff and just hung out. And most of all, thank you to
Elijah, Shelly, Archer and David for ALL of your hard work keeping the house
clean and ready to entertain. My wonderful children never complained even once.
Not when I interrupted their playtime to
do more chores, not when we asked Shelly to give up her room while Nana stays
with us, not when I asked someone to come to the grocery store with me AGAIN. I
have the most wonderful family.
This summer has been filled with the most wonderful moments. I so often think about stopping to write a blog or take more pictures but more often I think - just treasure this moment right now. Yesterday we went to State Fair and a stranger complimented us on our kids' good behavior. Archer was carrying Eli, they pressed their cheeks together cuddling and loving as can be. Tonight all three of them were crawling around on the ground, animal noises and made-up noises and cuddles and a little bit of wrestling. Eli told me at supper he couldn't eat anymore because his stomach was sore from laughing so much. He laughed so hard that he cried!! I keep treasuring more and more of these moments, closing my eyes and picturing all of them having the time of their lives and I get to see it all. What a blessing. What sweet sweet moments. I cannot imagine how life could be any better than this.
So - quick recap.
Archer and I took a bus trip with his school to Washington DC in May. I met some of the kids he hangs out with, we spent SO MANY HOURS on a bus and never quite got enough sleep. I don't know about him, but I learned a lot. I hope our family can visit there someday. I'm glad I got to spend so much time with him. It was the opportunity of a lifetime for both of us, and I'll treasure it forever.
June. 8th grade graduation. (I may have shed a tear. I'll never be back to that school, he's a high schooler now! He's so much more mature than when he started 6th grade, etc. etc.) 5th grade transition. (I may have shed another tear. She's getting so grown up!) Last day of First Grade. (I loved Mrs. Powell! E has grown so much!) Many thoughts about transition and change and moving on/up.
Visit to Nana, dragged her around to all the antique shops we could find just for the fun of looking at old stuff. It was great spending the day with her and talking about times old and new.
Archer attended National Youth Leadership Training for Scouts. Sounds like it was lots of work and lots of fun, he came home with a few stories to share. We're still hearing the stories 2 months later. Also, maybe he'll be staff next year? Something to consider. It rained every day, they ended up in a cabin when their tents were all soaked. But he looked happy when we showed up on the last day, and I'm proud of him for completing it.
July. Our most laid back 4th in many years - no attempt to make it up to HC for a run, just hang out at home till we go to the lakefront to stake out our spot for the fireworks. And someone stole our spot!!! Wait! They moved! We got our spot! Mary and her family joined us for yet another great night at the fireworks. I almost forgot - before that we hung out at Rachel's house with her boys for a cookout (where David kindly grilled all the food while the girls sat around chatting (gossiping?)). That was enjoyable for all of us, except maybe David who looked awfully hot once the 20 pounds of chicken was all cooked.
David and Eli went to Day Camp where they had many wonderful Scout activities for 4 days. By the last day, Eli was seeming more and more run down and David took him home early. We worried that he had heat exhaustion but that night, both Archer and Shelly went to bed early. They had either contracted heat exhaustion from Eli, or all 3 of them were sick. I think there was a little sickness running through our house , and within 24 hours everyone was back to normal.
Archer went to Scout Camp with his Troop. He was kept busy working on merit badges and cooking dinner and whatever else Boy Scouts do at camp. They all came home exhausted and smelling like... well, actually, Boy Scouts don't smell that bad! Part of the Scout Law, a Scout is Clean!
Shelly was at Anokijig again this year. Photography, games and HORSES! Shelly read lots (borrowed a book from a friend she knew from last year, and read instead of slept during quiet time), read some more (hid inside her sleeping bag with a flashlight, why does that not surprise me?), hid some more inside her sleeping bag when a big storm rolled through camp one night... But the best part was the horses, she enjoyed it all.
Let's not forget Camp Snoopy, where Eli hung out while Archer and Shelly were at their camps. So much to do - fishing, kayaking, swim swim swim! Eli actually stayed at Camp Snoopy for most of the week while the older kids were away, so he had his own version of camp and being away from home. I don't think he missed home at all, the Camp Snoopy Counselors (Grandma and Grandpa) kept him WAY too busy to think about missing home.
More stuff
Kingfish Baseball game with F5
Walk with friends at the lakefront
Brewers Baseball game with work peeps
Pool party sleepover with friends
Pool party with Nana
Making windchimes with Shelly
Beach pizza picnic with the kids
There have been a few more days here and there for more Camp Snoopy (kids trying to escape via kayaks), fishing, lefse making, so much swimming, and I forget everything else.
And now I store up these moments in my heart. What a wonderful summer. Time with family, time for the kids to find adventure on their own, so much good. It's winding down and we're starting to think about school supplies and school schedules but we've got a couple more weeks to go. Let's enjoy all the days of summer to their very last minute and find joy in each and every one we come across.
Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa, we were able to enjoy a two day trip to Monroe to visit as much of the family as we could round up. It's been too long, I'm so glad we had the chance to catch up with everyone. And there's nothing like a road trip for some very special bonding time. Can't wait to do it again sometime :)
School’s out and Grandma invited us for a little field trip to see a wonderful performance by Kids From Wisconsin. There were incredible performances by high school and college aged kids, beautiful costumes and we all enjoyed the music. What a nice little weeknight trip out on the town, thanks Grandma!
Shelly and some classmates participated in Battle of the Books.
A list of 100 books (maybe less, but still, the list seemed really long).
Three teammates.
Lots and lots of trivia questions.
Shelly's team was at a slight disadvantage because one of their teammates was unable to participate, so the remaining teammates had to pick up the slack and read even more books.
They faced off against the other teams at the public library one day after school and unflinchingly provided the book titles and authors to every character that was named, every plot turn that was listed. The parents, grandparents, community sat back and marvelled at the teams' skill and confidence.
Grandma and Grandpa were kind enough to take us out to dinner after the competition, thanks for the great afternoon! :)
Shelly turned TEN! My babies are getting so grown up. Sometimes I forget she's just in fourth grade, she seems so grown up. She knows what she wants in life and doesn't waver from it. She doesn't shy away from a challenge - Battle of the Books coming up, joining Chess Club, what more fun stuff are you going to find, Shelly Anna?
A couple of days after Shelly's birthday, we surprised Grandma with a little pizza party after school. It was wonderful to just show up and see Grandma's smiling face and everyone enjoyed the little break from the routine. Thanks for letting us barge in and interrupt your quiet evening Mamma and Bampa!
We've had a whirlwind couple of weeks and I've taken about a million pictures...
Start waayyyyy back with Nutcracker Rehearsal at the Theater on Thursday night. Grandma and Grandpa were very kind to get Shelly picked up from school and to the theater on time since I was at work. Friday I took the day off so I could get her to the theater on time (again) for dress rehearsal. Grandma and Grandpa weren't left out of the fun, though, they took Eli for the weekend. Let's not forget Archer - he packed himself up and took off with the scouts for a weekend of camping. And. A beautiful dress rehearsal kicked off the weekend of performances.
Saturday and Sunday. Three performances, so many compliments to the dancers and of course the best dancer of all was Shelly. She had a new role this year, as a Sheep. She was the cutest one.
Archer made it home Sunday morning after a weekend with an entire Scout camp for their small group of five people. Did I mention that the Blizzard of the Century blew through on Friday night? The Scout camp was covered in 40 feet of snow so the boys spent the weekend sledding and snowball fighting and whatever else Scouts do when camping in the snow.
We had a little Christmas gathering with Grandma and Grandpa after the final performance on Sunday. We all breathed a sigh of relief that another Nutcracker season was closed. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for assisting with the taxi duties, and for hanging onto E for the whole weekend so he didn't have to see the Nutcracker four times. You two always come through for us!
Fast forward six days, Hello Christmas!
Remember when Archer was the same height as these Nutcrackers?
We enjoyed our traditional visit to the campground for the light show, a visit from Santa, and Christmas with the cousins. This was the year of Nerf and RC toys. I tried to tally it up. The addition to the F5 Arsenal is something like 120 Nerf darts, 4 Nerf guns, 4 quadcopters, 2 cars, 1 helicopter and a whole lot of Cracker Jack. There might also be somewhere around 1,000 new Lego? And who gave Elijah Graham 110 marbles?
This is what I know - the rule of "no small parts" is 100% broken because for the last three days I've barely been able to walk without stepping on a weapon or some kind of ammo. I also know this. There has been a lot of running around, screaming with delight, laughing as the kids and quadcopters chase each other around corners. All around, a happy Christmas season for all.
1. Take the time to do it, it takes your mind off other things.
2. It's a social thing, involve the family. Take the time to manage whose turn it is to mix the batter, who gets to add the next ingredient, take the time to let the rest of the family help. Invest in your relationships with your family.
3. It's a social thing, share your cookies generously with everyone who asks, and with those who don't. Show up with a gift everywhere you go, invest, visit your family and friends.
4. Show people they can count on you, we always know Mom will be ready with cookies, no matter what occasion comes up. Or maybe there's no occasion, but she's ready for us.
5. Ask for help when you need it, and maybe even if you don't. Are they done yet? Put them on this plate. Take them over there. See number 2.
My obsession with running continues to seep into every single part of my life. Every little twinge is a question - is that an injury? Every possible variable weighed - what's the best outfit? Do I have the wrong kind of socks? Are my songs in the right order? Go to bed early so I can wake up early and run before it gets too hot. Eat spaghetti and not pizza. Eggs for breakfast, not yogurt.
This blog is supposed to be for and about the kids. Every extra second that I have on the computer is spent reading about the best training plans, diet, shoes. No time for writing about the kids. And yet I'm constantly thinking about how I can get them to come with me on the next run, drag them along when I look for better running sunglasses.
Run. Run. Run. Tomorrow I run 12. (I've never run that far before. One year ago I would have sworn I'd NEVER do it.) I just added new music to my playlist. As I listen to it, I'm about jumping out of my skin to get out there and run it NOW. In two weeks I will run 13.1 with my best running partner, advisor, encourager. He's started calling me Coach as I lecture him about not lifting heavy stuff because I don't want him to claim injury in two weeks.
Let's go! Let's go! I CANNOT WAIT to see that finish line, to cross that line with Dad, to know that we ran it together and NOTHING can match that experience - training together, achieving that goal together. Something we never thought we'd do. And here we are. LET'S DO THIS THING!!
P.S. Thanks to Mom for sending me the inspirational posters and always telling us we're doing great. Thanks to David for listening to my never ending discussion on every stupid little detail. Thanks to Archer and Shelly and Elijah for cheering us on, EVEN when you're biking alongside me and I KNOW you don't want to be there. Thank you to EVERYONE. You sure help make the journey more fun. I love you guys!!
You know how kids toss around those three letters? BFF. Best Friends Forever. They'll say it, then five minutes later declare they're not friends anymore.
Then there's the real thing. The people who start out best friends, say they'll stick together, and year after year they're still friends. When I think of my parents, the most inspiring thing to me is how much they still enjoy just being around each other. And here they are, another year as BFFs counted off, keeping each other young and loving life together. Its just about the most beautiful thing ever. I love you guys!! Happy Anniversary!
As our kids are growing up, we're always looking for those big moments... first steps, first words, first day of school. They become harder to define or see as they get older, but there was a major milestone reached today.
I've had Nana's famous Salad Dressing Cake for a little while now, I've wanted to try my hand at the delicious creation. I tried a couple of weeks ago, and no good. It was a complete flop, didn't turn out and the whole thing had to be tossed out. So disappointing. "This is why I don't bake," I told myself. Archer asked me today if I would bake the cake. I told him I had to be in the right kind of mood for it, and I wasn't in that mood today. He said, "I can make it." I couldn't really think of a reason why not, what's the worst that could happen? No worse than anything I'd done. So I said fine, and went to take a shower. He was on his own. At one point he called Grandma Shell for advice on whether he should grease the pan (he promptly forgot her advice and didn't do what she told him anyway).
I came back to the kitchen just in time to see him struggling with trying to hold the bowl while he poured the batter into the pan. I helped finish that up, then put it in the oven for him. Half an hour later...
Can you guess? Guess what happens when a nine year old boy with no baking experience simply follows the directions to make a chocolate cake? It turns out PERFECTLY. So good. So so good, I am SO proud!!!
Most of the cake is already gone, and I'm sure they'll finish it up for breakfast tomorrow morning. Perhaps I should be asking Archer for advice in the kitchen from now on?
Nana's Salad Dressing Cake
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
3 tablespoons cocoa
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup cold water
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup salad dressing (mayonnaise)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350
Mix all ingredients and pour into 9"x13" cake pan. Bake 25-30 minutes.
(Grandma Shell's advice was to spray the pan with cooking spray before pouring in the batter. Grandpa Craig's advice was to butter and flour the pan. Archer did neither, and used a non-stick baking pan.)
Why we love it
Easy, we always have the ingredients on hand, we love that we get to carry on Nana's tradition and share this one with everyone we love
Four Stars - what's with that last holdout? Doesn't he love cake? No? Strange...
Sometimes things return back to you in the least expected moments.
I was thinking recently about a video that I vaguely remembered. The memory is so clear, I remember sitting on the floor in Grandpa Shorty's living room. There were probably a few cousins around. I watched this fun movie with songs from different movies, all the words were on the bottom of the screen and we sang along. And my favorite was from the Jungle Book, the elephants marching and singing. I wonder how old I was then. I haven't seen it in decades. I sort of missed it and thought my own kids would enjoy it, but who knows what happens to these things? Some old video, long gone and mostly forgotten.
Then, Christmas rolled around, we went to Mom and Dad's, there was a frenzy of food, gift opening, packing up the car. When we got home and unpacked our car, there was a little treasure in the bottom of a gift bag. Something old and almost forgotten, remembered only as a vague thought of a moment at Grandpa's house so long ago. There it was, the video.
Right away I put it into the VCR and there he was... Jiminy Cricket hosting a 24 minute sing along. The kids settled in to watch and I sang along to all these classics and finally, the one I had remembered, it came up and we laughed and I almost cried at the thought of it. This little clip from a video so long ago, from Grandpa's house with family and all of the memories from that place and those people, and here was this silly little song singing right out of my past. Thanks for passing that along to us, Mom.
