christmas 2010

We had a very mellow quiet Christmas this year, which was perfect.  Just our family.  I was a little behind, and we ended up baking cookies the night before Christmas.  No one minded.  I also made hot chocolate with agave nectar that night, which was really good.  Something new.  Christmas morn the kids enjoyed opening gifts and also giving to Mom and Dad and each other.

My favorite thing we did was record a carol in four part harmony.

Many blessings for a wonderful New Year!     

corner view~the december holidays

In December we celebrate Christmas with the children.  Over the years we have created our own traditions starting with a tree that we decorate.  We give gifts to our families, the kids' teachers, some friends.  We also give gifts to one another that we open on December 25th.  Santa comes.  I share the story of the nativity.  We sing carols.  Tonight we recorded one in 4 part harmony, it was wonderful fun, and concentrated effort too.  I like to bake and it has just gotten cooler here and I now feel like baking.  Usually we make cookies, pies, puddings.  Perhaps a gingerbread man will come for a visit, only to be eaten by hungry children.  I think that would be lovely. 

These days I find myself craving time alone, time for quiet reflection. Yesterday we watched the lunar eclipse.  It was too cloudy for us to see out our window so we watched via NASA live satellite.  It was amazing.  Tonight the moon was shining in the sky, but it looked like there was a trace of orange still there.    

Every New Year's Eve Gary and I talk about all of the things we did that year, we tell stories and re-live our year.  We say goodbye to what was as we look forward to what will be. 

Have a wonderful holiday!  Let's take a break from corner view for a couple of weeks and resume on January 12th.  The theme for that day will be "winter."  I will look forward to some photos of the white powdery stuff.   

winter is upon us

 

We get more clouds in the winter.  Some days it is overcast and we don't see the sun at all.  I like these days, they feel cozy to me, I like putting on a sweater, long pants, socks.  When I swim in the ocean the water is cooler now.  I go to the sea, but not as frequently.  I swim for shorter periods.  The other day we got a heavy rainstorm.  It was beautiful, but some of my lettuces got a bit pummeled, and then more bugs came.  I am going to plant new babies now.  Onion, basil, and a few types of lettuce as well as stir fry greens.  Our compost is rich and fertile, and the birds come and feed from it.  We don't mind, we like to share. 

and the winners are...

Susanna, Rosa Maria, Jane, Dani and Mlle Paradis...

corner view~traditions

As a girl I witnessed my grandfather making wreaths out of Pennsylvania ground pine that he picked by hand in the lush woods that surrounded his home.  Even a couple of days before Christmas we would go with him to help pick the pine, because inevitably he would have given all of the wreaths away that he had made, (usually 25 or more) and want to make just a few more.  We walked to the end of his street where the paved road became a dirt road, a few hundred yards until we came to a clearing on the left.  We would wade through the snow and brush it away before we picked the pine, stuffing it into large plastic bags.

Then we went back to the house where grandma would have hot chocolate for us, and we went to work.  Grandpa taught us all how to make the wreaths.  I remember him showing us how to make them really full, and tie the pine tight so it wouldn't fall off.  It was important to him that the wreaths were beautiful from both sides, in case people wanted to hang them in windows.  It seemed like he thought making a wreath with only one side was kind of cheating.

The kids' wreaths were always a little lopsided, but he would always tell us how great they were.  His were perfectly round.  He showed us the value of working with nature to make something beautiful.  I can still picture his agile hands working, and the smile on his face.  As the years passed someone convinced him to charge for the wreaths, as he was spending so much time filling so many orders.  He never charged over $5 a wreath, all his life he kept his price that low. 
 
Thanks to Cherry B for this idea.  Next week's theme is "the December holidays."

In the holiday spirit, we are doing a giveaway this week!  Please stop by my previous post and leave a comment there if you wish to partake in the giveaway of my husband's music.   

Have a beautiful week, my friends.

holiday giveaway: gary marks cds

This is my super cool husband.  In case you don't know, he is a songwriter.  Before we met I was a fan of his music.  Good thing I liked it, or I would never have wanted to meet him!

For the past eight months we have been working together.  We have created YouTube videos of several of his songs.  I know many of you Europeans have YouTube blocked in your country, but I still want to provide links.  Sorry if you can't view them, but you can still win.  Here's the game:

We are giving away 5 CDs.
To enter once leave a comment here.
To enter twice tell us your favorite song or video.
To enter thrice comment on YouTube.

Here are the videos!
A Whisper Can Change the World 
Father's Day 
Forget to Remember
New York Journal
Sunrise Blinding Way
Sky High 
19
Here is his website if you really get into it and want to hear all of his songs (8 total albums):
http://garymarksmusic.com/ (or can't view YouTube)

Giveaway ends Friday the 17th.  Good luck and thanks for playing!

Ta ta for now...

corner view~improvising

 photo by Skylar Marks

I have to admit, improvising is not my strength.  I'm a planner.  I'm methodical.  I can sometimes even be, gasp, uptight.

Last summer, however, we traveled from home for two months.  We left with a plan, but within a few days we changed the plan.

And it all started from a bit of magic...

Since then there has been something new in our life - a blessing, that darted in like a dragonfly over a quiet pond on a sunny day.

When I get blue or feel stuck, it's always good to remember that in my life,

the
best
things
that
have
happened
were
never
planned.

Thank you to Anna for this idea of improvising.  Please keep adding your thoughts for themes, ladies and gents.  Next week's theme comes from Cherry B, and it is, ta da, "traditions."

PS
check back this Thursday for a music giveaway!

rainbows suspending us all

Always helpful for getting them in a humorous mood.  I love it when my kids enjoy one another and get along.  They certainly have their moments, but overall they are great to one another.

Sky ordered these suspenders through the mail, when they came they were way too small.  She convinced me to let get get another pair.  Now they are part of our ever growing costume bin.

The kids are all doing a lot of music these days.  Shawn is continuing to play drums, and singing a lot too.  Annabel is studying piano and guitar with Gary and Sky as teachers, and still sings all the time.  Sky is continuing to record covers and her own music.  She has written a beautiful new piano song and we are trying to decide how to record it best, thinking of just focusing on having her release this as a single.

Gary is still releasing YouTube music videos - six since summer.  In the spirit of the holidays we will have a giveaway of his new CD, probably next week.

Happy week my friends and stay tuned.

creative projects

My new way of organizing my to-do lists.  And this does not include holiday prep, day-to-day life, dishes, laundry, housework, etc.
These are creative projects!!! Yippee!
Not much time for blogging this week, sorry friends.  But I'll be back.

corner view~rain

2008:  I wrote about this day a couple of years ago.  We had just started homeschooling the girls and one winter day, it rained.  A big deal in our parts.  Quite rare. 

I let them go outside with umbrellas, and eventually it turned to just playing in the warm rain.

What a fun time.  The freedom they felt with their new lifestyle was evident on their faces.

I personally love when we get rain.  It cools everything and my plants seem to vibrate with happiness.   After a good rain I can see their growth overnight.

Next week we will write about "improvising."  This idea comes from Anna.

Please give me more ideas of what you wish to write about in your comments.  Happy December to you all!

ernie's incredible illucinations

Community theater - Annabel was in a show with a group of home schooled kids.  They performed at our local library.  It was about a boy named Ernie.   When he imagined something, it became reality.
Sometimes I wish I could do that...

happy thanksgiving

Hope you enjoy your day.  Here we will appreciate "God's painting in the sky." (to quote one of my daughter's songs).  I am so grateful for all of my blessings, near and far.

Also please check out Gary's newest YouTube video, here -- sure to put a smile on your face.  The song is called, "Sunrise Blinding Way." 

I will be doing a giveaway of his new CD this holiday season, so be sure to check back. 

corner view~taking a different perspective

I love knowing people from different cultures and countries, and how I learn from them.  I am struck by the connections I have made with people all over the world, just in the last few years, both in real life as well as through the internet.  I have gotten to know many people through this blog as well as through facebook, email, and now YouTube.
The internet is changing all of our lives.  I wonder what we will think in fifty years, what strides will be made because of how quickly we can interact with one another now.  I remember when email first became popular, and I said I didn't want a computer!
   
But peace is peace no matter what the language.  Here's hoping you all have a peaceful week, wherever you are!

Thanks to Dana for this idea.  Next week's theme is "rain," and it comes from Susanna.

a day at the beach

We were all there

But only two of us showed up on film

corner view~anything goes

I made this painting a few years ago, after a ten year hiatus from painting.  I woke up one morning with Shawn still a baby and decided if I didn't paint then, I might never paint again.  Later when Shawn was taking a nap, I grabbed our art supplies, and I included my girls that day along with our babysitter, Annie.  They each made their own paintings, and we all had so much fun.  

This painting came from that day.  I worked in warm colors, which was new for me.  

I really love how it turned out, like a rosebud waiting to blossom, but beautiful as it is.  Isn't that the goal?  To be happy with the process of our lives, and enjoy every stage, including the rosebud stages?

It is for me.

This painting was then chosen to be in a book about artists who are also poets.  I also had some poetry published.  I will share one of the poems, written about our son when he was a baby.

First Boy

My wondrous child

with bright red wavy hair

resembles the great grandfather

he never knew-

who tinkered and built

gadgets of all sorts.

"A man needs a workbench"

was his motto.

This boy is on a mission.

Just today,

he unloaded the dishwasher,

drawers and all,

pulled a painting off the wall,

and joyously dumped

a box of three hundred toothpicks

on the kitchen floor.

Someday he will learn

from his grandfather

how to repair a door hinge,

refinish an antique,

grow a green lawn.

He may build a rock path, a fence,

and maybe, just maybe,

fix something for me.

This is the book.

Thanks to Ninja, for this idea.  Next week's theme is "taking a different perspective" and it comes from Dana.  And please feel free to leave me ideas for more corner views.  I like to include you all in this, if possible.   

lunch out with me boy

After a swim on a school holiday.
We went to our favorite little local health food cafe where I love the Thai peanut tempeh and veggies wrapped in a collard green.  Shawn always gets the plain veggie wraps, no sauce.  This time I let him get the key lime pie for desert. 
The lady who works there is a big fan of Shawn.   Every time we go there she yells out his name and lets him come behind the counter and talk to her while she makes the food.  He refers to her as "my friend."

When the kids are grown I often wonder what they will remember of their childhood.  I remember the one-on-one time with my parents, because in a big family it was pretty rare.  I try to spend alone time with each of my kids every week.  Some is built in:  Bedtime they usually get some time with me.  Shawn and I read.  Annabel and I read, or sometimes she sings for me and I give her feedback.  (She thinks of these as lessons.)  Skylar likes to show me funny short videos, or just talk.  There is never a shortage of things to discuss with any of my kids.
But when I take one of my kids somewhere in the car, it's a really big deal.  So today was Shawn's special day with mom, and it was special for both of us.

remember my lemon tree?

Harvest soon.  Already got one.

corner view~autumn

 

We called it fall.  Growing up in upstate New York, autumn meant apple cider from local apple trees, thick hats and sweaters and boots, crackling fires in the fireplace from wood scraps gathered in our back yard, raking leaves with a pile left at the foot of our gigantic swing that grandpa fashioned, final garden harvests, and faded, soft blue jeans.

Where I live now, autumn is much more subtle.  She walks to the top of the mountain with her lasso, throws it high in the air, and captures clouds, pulling them down to blanket the sky.  Sometimes she throws them to the sea, where they stay to greet the setting sun.  After months of sun and heat, these hovering clouds are a welcome sight.  And quite stunning to look at I think.

My husband likes to watch American football.  We still have football here.  Listening to a game on TV brings back memories of my dad and brothers.  And it feels like fall. I will never tire of that.  

Thanks to Skylar and B for this idea.  Next week the theme is anything goes, we shall write whatever we feel like, because Miss Ninja thought it would be fun.  And we all know how much fun she is.

a boy with his nose in a book

Means a quiet house, at least for an hour or so!  Isn't it so great when kids discover a love of reading?!

some local flora

Flowers... are a proud assertion that a ray of beauty outvalues all the utilities of the world.  ~Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844