Coffee With Elly

Some things never change - our family's enjoyment of RCC's Annual Family Camp appears to be one of them! Michael's brother Zane stayed with us this year, as he has in the past and joined us on our Free Day excursion. I don't have many pictures of Phinehas - he was moving too fast!  We added Talent to the annual Variety Show/Talent night this year, with Judah and Simon performing a section from  A Midsummer Night's Dream, previously performed at their school play. The necklace Michael gave me for my birthday at Camp. He gave me a present a day to make it a "birthday week!" Monica and cousin Elinor Judah is stylin' in the bucket hat I got him at Costco. Looks kinda like Grandpa Mike. Rail Riders! Our family outing on Free Day included this odd excursion along an unused portion of railroad track near Manzanita. All ready to set out! Ezra participated at Camp in several ways, one of them being playing the gui...

All but one year of our married life has begun with tax season. That's 16 years, but who's counting?! I can't say I love it, but in fact, in the last 5 years or so, it's been less miserable than in previous years. Largely, this is because my kids are much older. Single-handedly running the house without a co-parent is a lot less difficult once your oldest kids help keep order, everybody is potty trained, and everybody can brush their own teeth (though perhaps, given the latest dental bills, that was a mistake)! Also, as he's gotten older and progressed in his career, Michael doesn't work as many hours during tax season, and the busyness has shifted to the end of the season. He even took the first week of January off this year for our stay-cation! This week has been especially grueling for him, though - he's worked about 65 hours in the first 5 days of the week, and is expecting a similar 13+hour day today, Saturday. Plus, he's been sick in one way or...

Because the Instant Pot does all the work, right?! I've made this recipe about 3 times. I double it, which just barely fits in my 8 quart Instant Pot, so then we have about 3 meals and some lunches off of it. It fills right up to the max line, and I was nervous to do the actual pressure cooking, but it worked fine and didn't blow up. Yay! What I love about it is that it has some interesting spices in it - including cocoa powder! Also, my kids think it's *almost* as good as canned... so with that exuberant recommendation, you know it must be pretty good! https://www.paintthekitchenred.com/instant-pot-chili/

Inspecting a squid at school! Eww! A nearly independent reader! Enjoying an almost sunny day with a quick stop at the library park! Monica is not too old to enjoy swings, yet! Attending the March for Life in downtown Portland. Hard to believe there were people cheering as the bell tolled for 60 million lives lost. 

On December 14 this year, Monica and Phinehas were involved in the production of The Great Cross Country Race, a retelling of The Tortoise and the Hare, put on by their school. They had about 4.5 lines between the two of them, but their scene was considered to be one of the more entertaining ones, so that was gratifying. A play seems to be rather like a wedding - tons of time and money for a relatively short period of end-goal activity! But they made good memories and learned some skills, and everybody but Elena ended up being involved in the final production. Judah helped with child-wrangling and Ezra with lights and sound during the performance.  Phinehas played the screen-playing child with selective hearing. Monica played the "had-it-up-to-here-with-being-ignored mother. Monica demanding her inattentive "husband" get involved!

As a friend told me this fall, "the first time I hosted the entire family for Thanksgiving, I felt like I'd finally become an adult." Well, I've arrived, I guess! We hosted my family for Thanksgiving this year at our house, including my parents, my three siblings and the ten children they brought with them! There were 26 people at dinner! My dad got some lovely pictures.  Michael got Mo's clam chowder for dinner on Wednesday night. Judah was forced to make savory shortbreads, which sadly, he didn't even like. But I thought they were great! Ezra was a real favorite with all of the little kids, as usual! Soup and bread for dinner. Mom and my brother, Ben. Aunt Katy supervised the construction of Reeses Pieces table decorations, bless her! Partners in crime... ;-) Ezra, Thane, Hale and Elena Madeline, Monica, Valor and Rinah Success! We really probably didn't need to have an appetizer feast a mere 1-2 hours ...