Thursday was Tolkien’s birthday. It was also this handsome fellow‘s 28th birthday:
I am so grateful for another wonderful year with Daniel, bane of raccoons, my chicken-wrangling, poetry-writing, sushi-making, ultra-marathon-running, urban farming husband.
I love him so much more than I did when I fell head over heels for him almost 12 years ago.
I made this Ginger Cranberry Pork for his birthday dinner along with roasted sweet potatoes and sauteed swiss chard that he grew in our frontyard urban garden. Mmmm.
In the Liturgical Year: Tonight is “Twelfth Night” the last of the 12 Days of Christmas. We’re taking the kids to a “First Christmas in the New World” Las Posadas procession at a historical mission site. The first Christmas in the the States was likely celebrated in our town by Spanish explorers. Have you been celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas? What has your experience been like? Tomorrow is the Feast of Epiphany. It’s a crime in our household to make it through the day without reading aloud T.S. Eliot’s “Journey of the Magi.” It’s powerful and I ALWAYS cry.
Pregnancy Update: 20ish weeks! Still occasionally pukey, but decent energy which I am grateful for. In case you missed it, we found out yesterday that we’re having another baby girl! So I was COMPLETELY wrong in my overly-confident prediction of another boy. Last night Daniel and I settled on a name for this new wee lady. I can’t wait to share it with you soon!
The Quotable Benjamin:
“You make the best cookies in the world! I’ve never had cookies gooder!”-Benjamin
Makes me feel awesome even though he doesn’t have the most sophisticated palate. GF baking FTW!
Links: “I Must Watch Over You”: The Value of Familial Responsibility in the Clarion Review (If you love Kristin Lavransdatter, one of my favorite books ever, you will love this.)
Here’s to a Weightless 2013: Kate Wicker
How to Begin New Habits (Free Daily Planner): A Holy Experience (I’ve started printing out these planner sheets and they are lovely and helpful and wonderful. I’m not by nature a list-maker but with Baby #3 on the way, I think I need to become one. My mother is reading this and feeling smug for all those times I smirked at her lists. You were right, Mom, as usual.)
Holy Days: Epiphany at Two Ortizes Plus More
Instagrams Worth Sharing (you can follow me on IG, I’m carrotsformichaelmas):
A trip to see the “Christmas Roses” (Camellias) at a local state park gardens as one of our 12 Days of Christmas.
Does this little lady look like she’s ready to have a baby sister or what?!
Sparkly eye shadow on New Year’s Eve. If a girl can’t wear too much eye makeup on NYE, when CAN she? I ask you.
Fellow bloggers: Is anybody going to BlissDom this year? I decided to go and I’m super excited and a little nervous since it will be my first time!
Wishing you a wonderful Twelfth Night and Epiphany!
Love,
Haley
So much loveliness in just one post! I can’t wait to find out your baby name! My husband and I still have duelling lists for ours, and CANNOT decide. Grr.
Also, if you’re into that kind of thing, you can listen to T.S. himself read “Journey of the Magi” here. Gives me goosebumps. http://www.poetryarchive.org/poetryarchive/singlePoem.do?poemId=7070
Posting it tomorrow! And thank you for the link to Eliot reading his poem! I finally got a chance to listen to it. I see new things in it each year in all it’s wondrous and terrible beauty. 🙂
Good recommendation for a book! (I see we exchanged recommendations this week) We haven’t been celebrating the 12 days like you, but I have tried to be mindful that we are still in the Christmas season and I have continued to enjoy the Christmas carols Pandora station. I tried to diligently pay attention and run over to thumbs down anything that wasn’t religious or at least extremely traditional so that it will be in good shape for next year 🙂
Regarding Kristin Lavransdatter? Oooo, if you haven’t read it, please do! It is so so so good.
Congratulations on another baby girl! Your babies have such sweet little faces. I love your “Miscellany” recaps. I’ve done something similar with my blog. Have a blessed Epiphany!
Thank you, Mari! We’re sooo excited about this little gal 🙂
Marmee always resists the temptation to respond with “smugness.” She does, however, admit that she is pleased — but only for the anticipated benefit to your family and not for herself — that she was, ultimately, correct about this little matter.
Marmee offers a gentle reminder that forming a new habit requires 21-28 days.
Love you, Mom.