the only personal writing
i've been able to afford lately
involves bullet points.
i'm bumping from one thing to the next with incredible speed, and my body is waiting to catch up with my mind. things will officially slow down after i get through the next few days. i will have written my last bunch of report card narratives, finished a slightly ridiculous paper that compares bread baking to educational action research, attended my last class, entertained 20 parents at an open house, and chaperoned a "girl power" festival at
portland state, in addition to all the other stuff of daily life, like folding laundry in ways that drives
anne nuts, and stashing raisins in spinach leaves for bug.
if you're wondering what's new in the life of the little one, you'll have to come on by and ask her, because she's been chatting up a storm lately, and very social. she is loving the early dark, the lights, the hopefulness of advent. she has also been really excited by the fact that our household is expanding, and a baby is moving in. did move in, as in this afternoon, with his mama, and we think it's gonna be a great fit. this afternoon, when
anne was taking apart the washing machine due to a stuck little sock,
adah and i baked a cake in preparation for their arrival, and afterwards, (don't tell
ezra) she said, "let's go into the living room to find some things that i don't like anymore to give to
ezra!" in no-pressure moments, we've been inundating her with conversations and stories about sharing and she, um, sort of got it.
she is also working hard on nighttime potty learning, which involves a lot of laundry and us pretending that we're not irritated by that. uh oh, i feel bullets coming on .
so there ya go, a few news bits. i'm looking forward to more relaxing evenings, the arrival of our tree, gift making at the dining room table, and in our kitchen. lots to be thankful for, even on the longest days...
since the recipe for candied orange peel that i'm following is trying to coerce me to be patient (the peels are supposed to become translucent-looking after about an hour of soaking in syrup, and it's been two hours and then some), it seems as though i have a few minutes to write, even though the house is in disarray due to the marathon gift wrapping anne and i just did.
our bamboo and eucalyptus trees are stretched to the ground, poor things. 
the house. we brought a stack of books with us and left with chocolate mustaches. 
spent some time outside today (as much as we could-- the wind was about to remove skin from our face), then warmed up by the fire and had friends over for soup, bread, and tissue paper snowflake making. adding to this loveliness was the portland public school closure notice, which i received at 5:45. that gives me the whole night to bask in the glory of getting to "sleep in" in the morning. i might even jolt myself with some homemade chai, sit in the dark with my christmas tree, and write some cards. happy. 
want to meet the new members of our household? introducing chelsea and ezra...
this little tree is entirely bogged down with ornaments from my childhood. every year my godfather bought me a new ornament that reflected my interests for that year. investigating each one was one of adah's favorite parts of the day. we were all a little perplexed by the skiing hot dog one. 
involves bullet points. i'm bumping from one thing to the next with incredible speed, and my body is waiting to catch up with my mind. things will officially slow down after i get through the next few days. i will have written my last bunch of report card narratives, finished a slightly ridiculous paper that compares bread baking to educational action research, attended my last class, entertained 20 parents at an open house, and chaperoned a "girl power" festival at portland state, in addition to all the other stuff of daily life, like folding laundry in ways that drives anne nuts, and stashing raisins in spinach leaves for bug.
