Life with the Edsalls . . .

One Month!

noreply@blogger.com (Ben) — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:55:00 +0000

Hi all.

It has been a busy month here in the Edsall household as we have slowly adjusted to the presence (and needs) of our little boy. Eli, however, has been oblivious to all the effort we have put in. It's like he doesn't even care. Kids. They just take and take.

Really, though, it has been pretty easy as far as transitions go and Eli is thus far a good eater and a "good" sleeper. He was born at 8lbs 12oz and as of 1 month he is 10lbs 10oz. Yeah, our boy can eat.

It's hard to believe that Eli is a whole month old! Here he is on a quilt that Deanna made for him (perhaps another post on that later...) The plan is to take a photo on this blanket as each month passes in order to visually record his growth.

1 Month Old

This morning at breakfast when Deanna told Nora that Eli was one month old she asked, "What does a one month old baby do?" She is ready for him to do more than sleep, eat and poop and eagerly peers at him in his Moses Basket in hopes of seeing some new behavior. We keep telling her that it will be awhile but then today, during his one-month photo shoot, Eli rolled over! (Photo evidence to follow.) He was at least as surprised as Deanna. It's amazing what can happen when your head weighs more than your body.

enjoying a little tummy time and working on those neck muscles...

'hey, i wonder what my right arm tastes like...'

'whuh-oh! there goes my head again... darn thing is so heavy!'

'um, mom, a little help here??'

'no seriously!! MOM! i have no idea what's happening!'

'whoa. that was intense.'

Nora and her brother

noreply@blogger.com (Ben) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:29:00 +0000

Nora loved her brother long before he ever exited the womb. She waited for him with mounting excitement as the time grew nearer. Nora informed us that while mommy had a boy in her tummy, she had a little girl in hers (who was born about 2 weeks before Eli arrived - no hospital necessary.) She has been putting her dolls and stuffed toys down for naps, shushing us as they sleep, and changing their diapers (or nappies, as she calls them) for months.

When Eli finally arrived and she met him in the hospital room, she ran/hopped around in excited circles for several minutes. (Sadly, we have no video of that.) She wants to be there for his every diaper change and feeding. She always wants to hold him. We've been trying to teach her to look for clues (like rooting, a full diaper, yawning, etc.) to figure out what he needs. Her favorite solution is the pacifier and any time she wants to give it to him she says, "I think he's just cluesing." We also regularly hear, "Daddy [or Mommy], will you put little brother down so I can stroke his soft hair?" It's pretty cute. I'm sure when he figures out what's going on he'll like it too.

Eli and his new bed-mates, courtesy of his sister.

Nora and her babies. Quiet please, they're sleeping.

A happy girl and her brother

Having such a good big sister can be exhausting.

Finally, a little video where Nora can tell you about her brother in her own words. You're welcome.

Eli at one week

noreply@blogger.com (Ben) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:40:00 +0000

It's hard to believe that it's been a week…and also hard to believe that it's been only a week. Time with newborns is a bit funny that way, simultaneously moving quickly and slowly. Nevertheless, a week it has been and we are growing more attached to little Elias James every day. We love him, his sister adores him (see forthcoming post), and our friends and family are suitably enamored. And why not? I mean, look at him.

Ready or not... he is HERE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:01:00 +0000

We're so pleased to introduce the newest addition to our little family, Elias James, who we'll call Eli.
Born Sunday, January 8, 2012.

We arrived at the hospital just before 10:00am and he arrived at 1:55pm - all 8 pounds, 12 ounces of him. (For a little perspective, Nora was 6lbs, 13 oz.) At the moment, he has gorgeous blond hair, blue eyes, and amazing sideburns. We are all recovering well and sleeping as much as possible.

More details and updates to follow in the coming days...

Thanks for all your prayers and support!

Love,

Deanna, Ben, Nora and Eli

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 10:51:00 +0000

2011 Reading List

(In order of when I read them.)

I'll use a 3 star rating system. The more stars, the more highly I would recommend the book... however, please note that I am NOT a book reviewer, I simply recommend books that I enjoy reading, that I relate to in some significant way, that challenge me to think differently (hopefully more correctly) about a certain subject, or that are just plain old beautifully written.

Those in purple are non-fiction. I haven't included the few that I started but never finished. After all, if I couldn't get through them, I probably wouldn't recommend them, right?

So Many Ways To Begin - Jon McGregor **
Ines of My Soul - Isabel Allende **
The Princess and the Goblin - George MacDonald **
Love and War - John and Stasi Eldredge (for book club) That's right, zero stars.
The River Why - David James Duncan ***
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer **
The House At Riverton - Kate Morton **
Nurture By Nature - Paul D Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger (for book club) **
Of Love and Shadows - Isabel Allende *
Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light - Brian Kolodiejchuk (for book club) **
The Blue Parakeet - Scot McKnight **
The Forgotten Garden - Kate Morton **
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck ***
I Curse the River of Time - Per Petterson **
Alias Grace - Margaret Atwood *
A Mercy - Toni Morrison **
The Turn of the Screw - Henry James *
If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things - Jon McGregor **
The Help - Kathryn Stockett (for the second time, for book club) **
Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne (aloud with Nora, per Jessye's suggestion) ***

I seem to read in fits and spurts. As I look back, most of these were read before we moved (end of August.) The past few months seem to have been very full of things other than reading (like moving and getting ready for another kid) but because of that I have a growing list of things I want to read. Currently Ben and I are reading My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok together aloud. And although we haven't finished I will, having previously read several Potok novels, highly recommend it. Nora and I have moved on to The House at Pooh Corner also by AA Milne and she's loving it.

Have any suggestions for me for 2012?

Here's to lots more reading in the year to come!!!

Change is on its way...

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 10:56:00 +0000

I haven't written a lot about pregnancy on this blog, but as our due date looms (1.5 weeks to go!) and as this is my second pregnancy, I have found that I am reflecting a lot about how life is going to change in the next few weeks.
It is a distinctly different sort of anticipation this time around. Don't get me wrong - we are thrilled to be adding to our family and extremely excited to meet him and get to know him. But, having had a newborn before we also know better what to expect. Our perception of what life will be like in those first few weeks and months is (at least slightly) less naive. So I've written a few lists (I'm crazy about lists!) to help me process this change from being pregnant to having a newborn. We all know I won't have the time or energy to do it after he arrives! ( :

Things I will NOT miss about being pregnant:
Morning sickness, swollen ankles each night, a sore pelvis, back pain, only being allowed to sleep on my left side, waddling, getting easily out of breath from my lungs being so squished, bumping my belly hard into counters as I try to do simple things like wash a dish or chop an onion, sleepless nights full of leg cramps, watching stretch marks grow, sleeping on a shower curtain (just in case my water breaks in bed), the hormones, being THIS huge (seriously, my belly is so big I'm not even going to show you)

Things I WILL miss about being pregnant:
Feeling baby hiccups, the anticipation and miracle of life growing in you, people giving up their seats and holding open doors for me, great hair and nails and skin, the nesting instinct that has been making me uber-productive lately, having a good excuse to eat pretty much whatever I want, Nora hugging my belly and talking to her little brother via my belly button

Things I am NOT looking forward to:
Getting up every few hours for feedings, sore nipples, the physical recovery of labor and delivery, changing diapers - lots and lots of diapers, hormone swings, having less me-time, increasingly needing to ask Nora to wait while I care for her brother, the additional laundry, blowouts and mega spit-ups

Things I AM looking forward to once our baby arrives:
Meeting this little guy and seeing what he looks like, watching Nora love on her little brother, letting Ben carry him around instead of just me all the time, FINALLY knowing his name, the smell and super soft feel of clean baby hair, coming home and becoming a family of 4, Ben taking a bit of time off work, introducing our newest addition to family and friends, sleeping on my right side (or my back or my front!), being able to run around and jump and dance and wrestle with Nora again, my belly shrinking, seeing my toes and maybe even being able to reach them, a visit from Grandma Edsall, watching our son grow into a man

Would love to hear if you have anything to add from your own experience!

THREE!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 22:55:00 +0000

After last year's low-key event we decided to throw Nora a little party this year. Many of her friends are back home in the States for the Christmas break. And it's a good thing! How would we have managed many more??!?

__________________________________

A bit of food, a few balloons, a mountain of cupcakes

and a roomful of totally crazy toddlers makes for a rockin' party!

All attempts at a group shot of the kiddos were thwarted despite much coaxing from kind parents.

The kids in the photos below were the cooperative ones!! : )

Happy Birthday to you!

Happy Birthday dear Nora!

Happy Birthday to you!

Turns out everyone just wanted cake. Duh!

Happy Birthday sweet silly girl! We love you SO!!!

Funny side note: We sing a song with Nora before she goes to bed each night. For her birthday she wanted us to sing her 'Happy Birthday' which we were happy to do but on a whim we decided to teach her the version about smelling like a monkey and looking like one too. It was the first time she had heard it and she thought it was very silly. You should know that Nora is getting very excited to meet her little brother. After we leave her room at night she often sings songs or talks to her stuffed animals and dolls and we hear her telling them things (in a very grown-up, matter-of-fact sort of voice) that we have been talking to her about throughout the day. Lately that often includes things about what it will be like to have a little brother. But on her birthday we hear this to the tune of 'Happy Birthday'...

"Little bru-u-u-ther,

Little bru-u-u-ther,

Little brother smells like a monkey,

Little bru-u-u-ther!"

Oh boy.

Christmas Goings-on

noreply@blogger.com (Ben) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 20:11:00 +0000

There has been a lot going on here in the Edsall household. Deanna is officially done with work (and ever-growing.) Soon our newest addition will join us…but hopefully not too soon. There are, of course, lots of Christmas goings-on about which Nora has been very excited. Last weekend we took a trip to a palace to visit Father Christmas (I know…it should be Santa Claus) and yesterday we visited Oxford Castle for a Christmas market, complete with carousel and pony rides. The pictures describe it better than my words could.

Nora on the bus to the palace. She's not excited at all.

Here is part of Blenheim Palace on a beautifully cloudy (but very cold!) day.

We took a little novelty train from the palace to the pleasure garden which boasts the world's second largest hedge maze. Here's a small part of it.

Nora the red-nosed toddler.

Priceless. Nora was super pumped. When Santa asked her what she wanted for Christmas she answered, "A baby brother." Santa was obviously unsure how to respond but I reassured him that we were working on it. He seemed rather relieved.

A little family photo.

She can be such a cheeseball!

Here is Nora at the Christmas Market riding the fastest carousel I have ever seen.

Nora on Bo-Bo. (Deanna may have been as excited as Nora.)

Riding a pony at Oxford Castle. She loved it!

Saying good bye to her new friend.

And here are a few more classics for you to enjoy.

Classic bubble-hat.

Nora, comparing her belly to Deanna's a couple of weeks ago. According to Nora, there's a little
girl in her tummy. We randomly hear, "Ow!" throughout the day. Which is most often followed by, "My little girl kicked me again! She's so wiggly!"

Grow Momma grow...

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:57:00 +0000

A bunch of photos from over the past few weeks... mostly showcasing my growing mid-section but a few of Nora thrown in for good measure. ( :

We're now at 27.5 weeks and I was reminded this week (thanks Shelley!) that I didn't ever announce that we're having a BOY! This is indeed very exciting news except that...

A.) I have NO idea what to do with a boy,

B.) I am having a VERY hard time thinking of boy names that I love (that aren't already 'taken'), and

C.) the little rascal is already a VERY active little man. I have been receiving painful blows from him every day for a good month now!!

Other than that, we're pretty thrilled!

Nora has taken more convincing. At the ultrasound she was sitting on Ben's lap while the technician looked for some sign of gender designation. When the tech told us that she saw something and was pretty sure it was a boy Ben said, 'Nora, it's a boy! You're going to have a brother!' And with a look of utter consternation she said, 'But, I thought I just wanted it to be a GIRL.' (As if we simply hadn't heard her request.) She was not amused. But she has since warmed up to the idea of having a brother and has decided the best name for him is Australia. (Don't ask me where she got that - I'm as confused as you are.)

A beautiful day

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Actually, it's been a beautiful week! We've been enjoying warm, sunny days for awhile now - which is so great! Because we also moved house about a month ago and have been needing this good weather to encourage us to get out and explore our new neighborhood.

Sunday was forecast to be just over 80 degrees and we decided to take advantage.

The day started out with a healthy breakfast and a yogurt goatee while dad went for his morning run.

When he got back Nora joined him for some stretching, some sit-ups and some push-ups.

High fives were definitely in order.

We packed up a picnic lunch and hopped on our bikes to go to the nearby village of Binsey. We wove our way through country roads, past green pastures lined with blackberry bushes and old fences and past clusters of lazy cows until we arrived at St Margaret's Church. The current church dates back to the 12th century and is built on the site of a previous Saxon chapel. There is a well there, famous for being the well in Alice and Wonderland but which may actually have originally been a pagan well which was 'Christianized' in the 9th century.

For Nora, the best part of this visit was the 3 goats in a pen behind the church which belonged to the farm next door. Second best was the picnic. She's a big fan of picnics.

After our picnic overlooking a nearby meadow we rode back toward the Thames, changed Nora into her swimsuit and let her wade in the river. She shared the water with a herd of cows across the river and plenty of ducks, geese, dogs, boaters, and other kids cooling off. She was thrilled! (Afterward, we went straight home for a bath!)

Rumor has it that this glorious weather will be gone soon and I've heard from 2 different people today that the weather forecasts are predicting snow by the end of the month!

Grow baby grow...

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 21:26:00 +0000

A week by week look at the relative size of our unborn baby (so far).

week 3: pin point, week 4: poppy seed, week 5: sesame seed, week 6: pumpkin seed, week 7: blueberry, week 8: raspberry, week 9: olive, week 10: red grape, week 11: walnut (w/shell), week 12: kiwi, week 13: egg, week 14: lemon, week 15: small apple, week 16: avocado

And this week. Week 17: Red Onion

(For the perceptive and curious, there is no week 1 or week 2 because although these first two weeks are counted as part of the 40 week gestational period, babies are not conceived until the third week.)

Look at me now!

noreply@blogger.com (Ben) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 20:21:00 +0000

Nora has been developing so quickly. Her vocabulary and syntax are, quite frankly, stunning for a 2-year-old. This video shows none of that. It does, however, offer irrefutable proof that she is indeed 2.

Big News!

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 16:15:00 +0000

Adventures in "napping"

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Sun, 22 May 2011 17:43:00 +0000

BEFORE

AFTER

And again,

BEFORE

AFTER

Sheesh...

Grandparents, Rome and picnics…oh my.

noreply@blogger.com (Ben) — Sun, 01 May 2011 15:24:00 +0000

Settle in…this is a long one.

So my parents came to visit last month... for about a month! There's nothing like having visitors to get you out of the library and exploring one's surroundings. Also, there's nothing like Grandparents for dumping your kid on them so you can go do something else for a bit. It was great to have them here and Nora absolutely adored it. After all, Grandpa did buy her ice cream every time she looked at him with those big blue eyes and said, "Grampa, please you want to buy me some ice cream?" (If only you could hear her say it you'd buy her ice cream too!)

First, shortly after my folks' arrival, Deanna and I (NB: without Nora) took off for a day trip to Rome with a group of people from my program (led by my supervisor). That's right, a day trip to Rome. Our flight left at around 6 am and we touched back down in London at 11:30 pm. Then there was a drive home. It was a long but fantastic day.

Deanna's first pizza in Rome. Later we enjoyed gelato too!

The Colosseum

Temple of Jupiter


Fontana di Trevi

Grave Stone: Paulo Apostolo Mart… (Paul, Apostle, Martyr)

The next trip was a day in London, this time with the grandparents and Nora, where we traipsed around the major sights (Parliament, Buckingham Palace, the Changing of the Guard, Big Ben, the London Eye, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square etc.) and finished with a lovely dinner with some old friends of my parents.

At the Changing of the Guard

Family picture in St. James Park

Ahhh…the grandparents.

We told my dad to pretend he like being in pictures.

Beautiful day, no?

At Trafalgar Square

Fear not. Nora is NOT being eaten by the lion. She liked shouting into it's mouth and hearing the echo.

A tired little girl looking at her balloon.

The end of a long day.

Then we rented a car for the weekend and on Saturday, Sunday and Monday we visited Blenheim Palace (Churchill's birthplace), Stratford-on-Avon (Shakespeare's village), and Cambridge (home of…you know, Cambridge).

Blenheim Palace on a beautiful day.

One of our many picnics…of course this is at Blenheim and not our backyard.

Sharing carrots with Grandpa.

Stratford-upon-Avon

If she were in Oregon she'd be hugging trees…

Shakespeare's grave.

Playing dress-up at Shakespeare's church.

Shakespeare's birthplace.

Nora and yet more ice cream.

All of these trips were packed around many trips to the (many) parks, the outdoor market, the library, the Botanic Garden, museums, Oxford sightseeing, a C.S. Lewis day (including a trip to his house, pond, church, grave, college and pub), punting, pizza at our favourite (!) pizza place, and lots of walks, backyard picnics and trips to feed the ducks. We watched a hot-air balloon launch too! The weather was incredible the whole time with most days clear and in the 60's and 70's. (As a result we put my parents to work in the garden.) Clearly, they now have a very skewed idea of the weather here in Oxford.


Who doesn't like a see-saw? Crazy people, that's who.

Grandpa keeping Nora safe... really.

She put her boots on by herself…can you tell?

Punting on the Cherwell.

The view from our punt.

At the pond by Shotover Hill where C. S. Lewis used to swim.

On the steps at Magdalen College.

All in all, it was wonderful and now that they're gone and we have settled back into life-as-usual, we have space for more visitors so come on over!!

The Royal Wedding: A Recap

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 19:57:00 +0000

Today Ben humored me. He sat with me (and wrangled Nora as her interest waned) as I unabashedly drank in every detail of the royal wedding. What a guy!

Honestly, I wasn't sure I'd even watch it - this was not a massively pre-planned event in our house. First off, while I find it all amusing, I'm not a huge royal family buff. And we don't have a TV and we listen to the radio for about 6.5 seconds every morning (this is how long it takes us to hear the alarm and then turn it off) so besides the Kate and William china plates and tea towels that have been appearing in shop windows for the past 6 months or so, I really didn't experience any of the build-up. But, I figured, it's not everyday that you see a royal wedding... and so we watched.

And I must say, I was thoroughly swept up by it all! For those who didn't watch I can tell you it was certainly a royal affair complete with hundreds of guards carrying automatic weapons, 5,000+ police, red carpet, horse-drawn carriages, adoring masses lining the streets, an arch-bishop presiding, an orchestra, an angelic boys choir, and trumpeters.

(Ah yes, it's all clear now. That's what was missing from my wedding... the trumpeters.)

And the star of this wedding - as is most often the case - was definitely the bride. Wow. Kate who is now Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn (Scotland) and Baroness Carrickfergus (Northern Irish) was absolutely stunning. But not in a "Hey look at me! Oh wait you can't help it because I look ridiculous" sort of way. There was an understated, effortlessness about her and the woman showed amazing poise with half the world watching. Her dress, and in fact her whole look, was traditional - yet modern and stylish.
Classy, elegant, and timeless without tip-toeing toward old fashioned. Very fairy-tale princess.
And the perfect dress for the occasion - if you ask me.

And then there were the hats.

Oh my, the hats.

It seems that the tradition of wearing hats to weddings is a hold-over from when women always wore hats (to cover their heads) in church. Since a wedding was a very special occasion one would, of course, wear their very best hat - assuming they owned more than one. I've also heard from a British friend that traditionally it is married women who wear hats while unmarried women may wear some other sort of headband or fancy, often feathered hairclip (appropriately) called a fascinator. Nowadays there aren't such strict rules about it. The hats are a fashion statement for all. A chance to be eccentric, to dress up, to put on your best and to splurge a bit. And boy did these guests ever do that!

Wow.

But not in a good way.

Obviously some made more 'positive' (read: 'palatable') statements than others.

Any favorites??

Oh yum.

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 20:26:00 +0000

Yesterday was my birthday. The big 3-0.

In this house, when it's your birthday, you choose the dinner menu. If you know me well at all, you know I just love food. All kinds of food. Sweet food, savory food, but most of all comfort food. And nothing says comfort to me more than good old mashed potatoes! So a few days before my birthday I started perusing cookbooks and foodie blogs to find the perfect accompaniment for my birthday spuds. This is what I came up with and my my was it ever delicious.

Mushroom and Blueberry Balsamic Pot Roast

First I grabbed a pan and heated up a few lugs of olive oil. Then threw in an onion and a few cloves of garlic to brown them up a bit before dumping them in the bottom of my crockpot.

Then I popped a nicely salted and peppered rolled brisket (in the same pan) to brown each side

and lock in all the yummy juices. When I was done, it went right on top of that garlic and onion goodness in the crockpot.

Next was time for the sauce. I combined some lovely balsamic vinegar, a bit of beef broth, a touch of good tomato paste and some fresh blueberries - same pan. Yup, you read that right. Blueberries.

That got dumped into the crockpot too -- with a sprinkle of thyme and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary from the garden.

We let this go all day... filling the house with an incredible aroma.

Later (same pan - no need to wash) I browned up some thick-sliced chestnut mushrooms. These were dumped in the crockpot about 2 hours before we were ready to eat.

I made my mashed potatoes and mixed them with terrifying amounts of butter and cream cheese. I made some lovely brown sugar and walnut coated brussels sprouts. I put it all on a plate...

and ~~ate~~ savored every last bite.

You MUST try this. It is absolutely divine.

The original recipe I found was from Mesiedy over at TheNoshery. She did this in a dutch oven with some other veggies too. You can find that post here. I don't have a dutch oven (or a big enough oven to use one for that matter!) so altered it a bit for my crockpot and it still turned out incredible!

Then on to the cake. My dear friend Katy has made this for me twice in the past and graciously passed the recipe along. It's a moist, soft, perfectly spiced, luscious carrot cake topped with the best cream cheese icing. So delicious it's ridiculous.

Happy birthday to me.

PS - Special thanks to Ben for spending the day in the kitchen with me. You are the best! xoxo

A most beloved sister

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:31:00 +0000

Meet Linnaea:

She's my baby sister. Although we are a little over 6 years apart, we shared a room until I was 16 so a LOT of my growing up happened with her very nearby. And I've always felt a little extra protective of her. She is amazing and I adore her.

Good news:

My lovely, funny, talented, smart, sweet baby sister is getting married in Oregon this June!

Bad news:

I live in England. Flights are super spendy at the moment (particularly trans-Atlantic flights) and we Edsalls are on a tight grad-student budget.

So... we're getting creative:

In her spare time, one of my other incredible sisters (Trinette) sells Pampered Chef and she has generously offered to host an online event and to give me ALL the profits. That means, you browse the online catalogue and pick out the things you'd like from the comfort of your own sofa. Every bit of the proceeds will go toward my trip home for the wedding! If by some miracle I have more than enough, I might even be able to bring Nora!

Here's the Deal:

You know about Pampered Chef. You love their kitchen tools and yummy recipes. (If you don't, just try them -- you will!) Now is your chance to stock up all those great cooking/entertaining gadgets that make cooking easy, simple, healthy, yummy and FUN!

Don't forget that Mother's Day is just around the corner - so be sure to pick out something special for your Momma too! Or stock up on gifts for the upcoming wedding season!!

And remember that while you're buying you'll be helping me out heaps!

Even if you can't buy anything it would be swell if you'd let all your kitchen loving friends know about this - anyone can order (you don't have to know me personally)!

Here's the Link:

http://www.pamperedchef.biz/trinette

When it asks for the host's name use mine - Deanna Edsall. Happy Shopping!!

Fine Print:

Orders must be placed by April 3rd 2011.

PLEASE ask for your purchases to be shipped to your address (It must be a US address - sorry Canadian friends!)

I hope you're all well and if you're in Oregon, I'd love to see you in June!!

Love,

Deanna

Spring is coming…

noreply@blogger.com (Ben) — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:41:00 +0000

"Bouncing on my knee."

noreply@blogger.com (Ben) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 23:00:00 +0000

Repetition is how Nora learns new songs. And she loves to learn new songs.

Lesson from my Supervisor #136

noreply@blogger.com (Ben) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 22:57:00 +0000

Me: (musing) You know, it's weird. I used to be able to sleep anywhere but now I don't sleep well at all.

Supervisor: (not missing a beat) It's called middle-age, Ben.

.

Lately

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:47:00 +0000

Nora is a very busy girl. Here are a few things she's been up to lately.

Nora loves working next to Dad (middle), directing him in the use of crayons (bottom left) and helping her dog to color by holding his paw on the pen (bottom right)

______________________________________________

Nora loves her some cocoa or tea!

For her the appeal is 20% beverage and 80% using the big mug like Mom and Dad.

_____________________________________________

Yesterday she lined up all her little toys and made them each a cookie! (bottom left)

She made one for me too. With sprinkles. It was delicious.

A Nice Change...

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 14:42:00 +0000

It is 48 degrees out right now. The sky is radiantly blue. And as long as you aren't in the midst of a gust of wind, the sun is actually... (I can't believe I'm typing this) warm. Gasp!

It's a far cry from the usual Oxford winter days of monotone gray skies offering a backdrop to monotone gray stone buildings, cold, damp air, wind and penetrating frost. You know, perpetual chill-in-your-bones kind of weather that makes people like me LIVE in their long johns and wool sweaters, CLING venomously to their hot water bottle, and DREAD leaving the warmth of my bed in the morning or the comfort of my living room each afternoon (almost as much as I dread seeing the month's heating bill!). Although it happens to different people in varying degrees, this glum state of affairs around us penetrates our outlook, our countenance. It can sap our hope and optimism. It can drain our joy.

Biking home from work today in 48 degree ~~bliss~~ er... improvement ('bliss' for me would be more like 78) the sun beating down on my face and back, the bright blue sky illuminating the magnificent old buildings on my right and on my left, seeing tiny crocuses and snow drops beginning to break through the surface of the dark earth with promises of blooms to come, I nearly forgot about the pale gloom of yesterday and so many many many yesterdays before that.

I'd like to think that this is it. This is the day when winter begins to turn to spring: the days get longer, and warmer, we dry our clothes on the line outside rather than draped on the rack (which has become a rather permanent and un-attractive fixture) in my living room, Oxford's lovely gardens once again come to life, and we can actually enjoy a trip to the park or a walk by the river.

And while I know this isn't it, I'm going to scoot my chair in front of the window, grab my book and soak up as much vitamin D as today's sun has to offer... because who knows how long it will have to last!

A Welsh Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:55:00 +0000

We spent the first week of 2011 on holiday! What a way to start a year!?

We had never been to Wales before and it's just so close and interesting that we decided to go for it. Our dearest friends made the long drive (long for the UK, that is) down from their home in Scotland, picked us up at the train station and then we continued on together to our final destination on the Hafod Estate. This was our home for an entire lovely week of good food, good music, good friends, good books, game nights, log fires, invigorating hikes, and stunning views. We had no schedule, no deadlines, no traffic, no phones, no TV, no internet, and no noise apart from the gurgling pond outside our front door, the breeze over the hills, the soft pitter patter of raindrops on the roof, the comforting sound of the crackling fire, and the occasional bleating of sheep or song of bird. Bliss.

Here's a little slideshow of some of our favorite shots (most are of the landscape…and there's a lot of them). Enjoy!

noreply@blogger.com (Deanna) — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 17:18:00 +0000

Deanna's 2010 Book List
-------------- (in no particular order) ---------------

Out Stealing Horses  Per Petterson
The Help  Kathryn Stockett
Old Men at Midnight  Chaim Potok
The Bell Jar  Sylvia Plath
The Passport Herta Müller
Parable of the Sower Octavia Butler
A Walk in the Woods  Bill Bryson
The Kite Runner   Khaled Hosseini
The Time Traveler's Wife  Audrey Niffenegger
Cold Tangerines  Shauna Niequist
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life  Amy Krouse      Rosenthal
In Dubious Battle  John Steinbeck
The Book of Lights  Chaim Potok

These are the ones I remember anyway.

I also tried to read a biography of Eglantyne Jebb called The Woman Who Saved the Children but it was so long and boringly written that I stopped reading about three quarters of the way through it despite the fact that I admire all that Eglantyne Jebb accomplished.

There are so many many more titles I wish I had found the time to get to this past year but alas, I can't spend ALL my time with my nose in a book. There's a whole big world out there full of interesting people and places waiting to be explored too! Not to mention my own sweet little girl that I can't get enough of!

What did you read? Any recommendations for me for 2011??

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