From a 4 Year Old's Perspective . . .

 . . . life is very interesting. Here's what age Havalah thinks everyone in our family is;
Dad - 52
Mom - 21
Rachel - 9
Mara - 25
Jonathan - 32
Ian - 23
Naomi - 12
Keturah - 13
Esther - 12
Seth - 11*
Joshua - 8*
Havalah - 4*

It made my day, listening to her talk!

*Havalah got these right!

My Baking List

Moxie and I loooooooove to bake. It is one of the few arts (besides folding clothes!) that I'm good at. During the season of Autumn I want to bake anything that catches my eye. The spices and colors of the foods inspire all kinds of things. Like, bobbing for apples;)


Lately I've been Tastespotting, and going through all our cookbooks to come up with new recipes to try. These are a few things I found and want to bake;


Chocolate Hazelnut Babka
Bosch Bread
Apple Turnovers
Pumpkin Roll
Apple Butter
Friendship Bread
Coconut Cream Pie
Beef Bourguignon 
Cinnamon Rolls 101
Homemade Glazed Doughnuts
Brown Butter Gelato
Naan
So, Tallyho!!! It's off to the kitchen we go!!!

Linens 'N' Things

My family is back home. How do I know?
1. There is certainly no need to be paranoid about the quiet anymore(don't ask).
2. Clothes, clothing, cloth, blankets, etc, etc, etc.
3. LOTS of it.

I've grown up folding clothes, and although it's not my favorite chore you can definitely find creative ways to pass the time. When I was little, I would pretend all the men in our family were soldiers. I stacked their piles on the outside edge of the couch so that they might fight bravely and fend off our foes. Often times, all the girl piles would have to run away and hide in caves, which meant they were always stationed on the seat of the couch. Ah! yes, tis true this is;)

Now when I fold clothes it often times is a good stress reliever. To me, folding them as close to perfection that I can get them is a sort of triumphant feeling because I know that it requires no great skill. It is a calming effect and they always smell faintly of lavender. Moxie can't quite understand why I insist on folding a whole weeks worth by myself sometimes, but it really is soothing to me.

Another reason why I fold clothes is because I'm angry at someone. Usually I give the clothes belonging to that person a good shaking out. I always do it with a stern face;)

And yet another reason I fold clothes is because everyone else is. Half the time the whole family gets involved and we end up stretching the folding time because of all the conversation and noise going on. Really, how can one be focused on finding a pair of mismatched socks when a fellow folder is telling their latest bathroom episode?

Thank you for bearing with me. If you were worried about only the men taking up arms to protect us women, don't worry, not that I've gotten older there is equality in the fighting(=

Grandma gave Mom a book that had been in the family for awhile. It had been given to our great, great, great aunt somewhere around the 1930's. The book is titled 'Shakespeare Birthday Text Book.'

Here is what is written for Moxie's Birthday;

July 29.

More inconstant than the wind who wooes
Even now the frozed bosom of the north,
And, being anger'd, puffs away from thence,
Turning his face to the dew-dropping south.
                                           Romeo and Juliet, Act i.

Qixi's Birthday;

August 20.

Chaste as the icicle
That's curdied by the frost from purest snow
And hangs on Dian's temple.
                    Coriolanus, Act v.

Is she not passing fair?
Two Gentleman of Verona, Act iv.

A Poem

I was going through my journal today, and noticed a poem I had written awhile ago that I had completely forgotten about. I thought I'd jot it down here, even though it's nothing special. The reality is that I didn't know what to blog about, so I thought "Qixi, just write down the poem, and who cares what anyone thinks about it!"

I do things differently when I'm at home
Sometimes I pretend I'm visiting Rome

When close upon me there comes a menace,
I pretend I'm boating on the canals in Venice

To a friend who was leaving, I said "Goodbye"
Then to mask the pain, I pretended I was a caterpillar, turning into a butterfly

Once, someone gave me a rose,all pretty and red
But it died soon after I had gone to bed

When I wake up and the sky is gray,
I go back to bed and sleep until a sunny day

11 Things About Moxie

1. I was born at home
2. I am a Christian
3. I love to bake
4. My favorite flavor of ice cream is pumpkin
5. I play the harp
6. I would rather unload the dishwasher then fold clothes
7. "To Kill A Mockingbird" is my favorite book
8. I collect miniature tea sets
9. I prefer salt over pepper
10. I love to travel
11. Roller coasters that go upside down give me a special thrill :D

Home Alone . . .

Well, not quite. Our brother Ian is with us. (Does he count?)
We had a lovely weekend, though it was fast-paced and went by like a blur. The wedding was wonderful and we saw a lot of people we haven't seen in a while (hello, Emerson!).
So . . . why are we home alone? Well, to put it simply, our family is on vacation, and we had some commitments this week we felt we couldn't miss, so we stayed home. The house is empty and quiet. Instead of the usual ten people occupying it, there is only three. What a big difference!
I'm sure we'll have a great big party every night. :D
This morning for breakfast we wanted something quick and easy so we made biscuits and baked apples. It was delicious. Here is the recipe for the baked apples;                          
                                              Baked Apples - Susan Branch

2 tablespoons oats                                           pinch of cinnamon
1 tablespoon brown sugar                                pinch of nutmeg
1 teaspoon chopped walnuts                            dash of lemon juice
4 teaspoons soft butter                                     2 tablespoons apple juice
2 apples
Wash and core the apple, being careful not to break through the bottom. Mix together all the rest of the ingredients except for the apple juice. Fill the apple with the mixture and put it in a shallow baking dish. Pour the apple juice around the apples and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves two.