Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!

Every year since I had my first child, I have made great plans for Halloween. Decorate the house, do up the costumes in a big way, make the day's regular meals especially creepy in some creative way my kids would remember always and cherish.

And then the day comes and goes and we're lucky if we got out to go trick or treating.

This year felt different. No, we didn't spread fake spider webs all over our house, or have clever zombie scenes playing out in our front yard. My BP oil spill clean-up worker costume never got assembled, I didn't get a babysitter to join Chris at the swank party last night, and we didn't drive over to Bernard street for the coolest trick or treating on our side of the Chicago river.

But we had one of those really great family days that we'll look back on later and smile at the memory. 

Because we carved our pumpkins WAY early, and it's been pretty warm these days, our jack o' lanterns barely made it (and in some cases, did NOT make it) to their big day. To replace the effect without re-carving pumpkins (yawn), I decided to make some fall lanterns out of the 101 extra mason jars I have lying around my house. Bela was way into this project for approximately 3 minutes. Luckily, my friend Leslie was here to help me use up our stash.

To add to the lantern project, the girls and I DID make spooky food, this year in the form of egg- and dairy-free chocolate "spider" cupcakes that we are all very proud of. Not a bad recipe for those of you allergic to egg (like Mae). I found it here.

Anyway, this was all yesterday.


TODAY, exactly three hours after Chris went to sleep (it was a pretty great party), I woke everyone up and we piled into the car before dawn and drove to Grant park. Even though I haven't been finding the time to run more than twice a week, even though I haven't run 13 miles since the last half-marathon, I went ahead with my plans to run the Chicago Monster Dash Half Marathon this morning. It was a beautiful sunrise over the lake, the costumes were hilarious, the course was familiar and easy. I finished in about 1 hour and 56 minutes, just a couple minutes off my time in September.

I saw Chris and the girls twice on the course. They braved the cold and, in Chris' case, severe lack of sleep to be there to cheer me on.  They camped out with spider cupcakes, blankies, camera, and a giant sign that read "Go Kate!" It made me feel great to see them out there. Bela was a champ, as usual. She wanted to help hand out water to the runners (to the annoyance, I think, of the volunteers working). And they were both very concerned that we runners were littering our cups on the ground. Mae, on the other hand, cried about being hungry, cold, and wanting to see me.

Mile 3 - Navy Pier

Mile 10 - Oak Street Beach

We then drove to China Town and started what I think should become a family tradition: Post-race Pre-Trick or treating Dim Sum Halloween morning meal. The char siu bao (steamed pork buns), rice noodle rolls, crab something or other, and anything with shrimp was a big hit with the girls. They drank tea, attempted to eat with chopsticks, and had a merry old time.

The rest of the day involved a two and a half hour family nap, trick or treating fun in our own neighborhood, and homemade pizza.

I feel a little weird blogging about my day before it's even over, but it was a good one. A really really good one. And besides, I'm absolutely incapacitated here on the couch. My right knee and right hip will never be the same after this morning's race.

Hope you all had a great Halloween.

This Moment - October 29

Every Friday Amanda Soule over at Soulemama.com posts an image from her week that needs no words of explanation. She encourages fellow bloggers to do the same. Here's mine. Where's yours? 

When I'm dead

Cooper - post bath (2000)

Almost 15 years ago, I brought home a beautiful blue point siamese kitten. I named her Bronte. I took her everywhere with me. Miss Bronte and I have been through a lot together. We moved to Champaign, Chicago, Bloomington. We moved back to Champaign. We even moved back to Chicago. We acquired a friend for her named Cooper. The three of us became a foursome with Chris, and I loved these cats. I bathed them. I took them to the vet for their annual shots, their annual check-ups. I took them to my Grandmother's house on Christmas, Thanksgiving. I brushed them. I trimmed their nails. I cleaned their box like a dutiful mother.

And then I had kids. And I forgot about them. And I fell in love with dogs.

I want a dog. Bela and Mae want a dog. Chris... Chris does not want a dog. And Chris is the only smart one in this house, in all honesty.  We leave town almost every weekend. We live in an apartment in the city. I complain about the cats daily. We have a hamster, no less than 300 fish, and a dragon egg that is due to hatch any day now (just ask the girls).

So I support him in this decision. I know that now is not the right time for us to add a dog to our chaotic and seemingly uncontrollable lives. "But when?", they ask me, over and over. "When? When I'm sixteen?" For Bela, sixteen is a magical age when you get to buy the toys and movies you want, when you finally get that bag of peanut M&M's mom won't buy you at the store.

One fateful day in a fit of impatience I finally said to them: "You can get a dog when the cats die."

That made complete sense to them.

So now, Bela tells everyone that When Bronte and Cooper die we'll get a dog. And When our hamster Little John  dies (YES! He is still alive), we will get a white mouse.

Two weeks ago we spent my birthday weekend camping along the Ice Age Trail in northern Wisconsin. We went with our friend David, and his friend Nicole. Nicole was very cute. She was wonderful with the girls. She let them sit on her lap and she watched their goofy antics and she played with them and was ever so patient. Ever, ever so much more patient than certain mothers my girls know.

After a very touching moment between Mae and Nicole, Mae looked up at her with her big blue eyes and said: Nicole? Could you be my mom when my mommy dies?

 

This moment - October 22

This moment

It's Friday. That means it's time for This Moment, only today I want to change it up a bit. It's still a moment, from my family's week, that has (almost) no words of explanation. Enjoy this video moment from our week. 

Hobgoblin

 A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

A hundred years ago I was an English Lit major. And while Emerson was my personal hero (at least during that semester's survey course on American Literature) and I almost named my second child after him (lucky for Mae she's not a Ralph), I can't say that I spent a lot of time wondering what he meant, exactly, by 'hobgoblin'.

But that wasn't the first or the last time I stumbled on a reference to the folkloric character. From Shakespeare to Tolkien to weird fantasy role playing games, the hobgoblin resurfaces on numerous occasion and in plentiful manifestation.

And now he's back. The girls attend a Waldorf preschool/kindergarten here in Chicago (worthy of its own post) where their days are filled with soup, song, and story. Bela has been listening lately to a series of stories involving a prankster little old man who comes in the night and hides your toys if you've carelessly left them out. Waldorf thinks that oral narrative plays an indescribably profound role in a child's inner life. Bela thinks this little troll is for real. And me? I think it's all pure genius. Seriously? A hobgoblin?That's all it takes? Their playroom has never been cleaner.

Needless to say I've taken the story and run with it. 

     "Do you really want to leave those crayons lying out? "

     "It would be a shame if you lost your puzzle pieces."

     "I might be able to convince him to leave the castle you made out of wood blocks, but there's no way he's not touching that pile of books you've cast all over the floor. "

My mom called last night and the kids, certain I was involved in that conversation--the one I had been threatening all day (you know which one I'm talking about)--ran screaming into the room, begging me to ask him not to visit our house that night. My mother, always one to play along, clued my step-father in on the game, and in seconds Bela and Mae each had a conversation with a real-life hobgoblin.  He talked. They listened. Toys were cleaned up. Order was restored to our home. 

Waldorf - you're worth every penny. Hobgoblin indeed.

PS - there is no picture for this post. I am in the process of convincing Bela to draw her very own interpretation of the creature. When she finishes, I'll post.

On my mind

Some really important things have been on my mind lately.

1. Squash
2. Square dancing
3. Bread and soup
4. Finishing some important knitting projects
5. Enjoying every last nanosecond of this weather we have been having.


1). First, the squash. I have a problem. I think I may need an intervention of sorts over here, a squash intervention, if you will. I don't know how it happened, but I turned around and the biomass of the squash that has accumulated in my kitchen outweighs that of the human members of my family. Delicata, acorn, butternut, pumpkin.

Here is one way I've been getting rid of it, er, I mean, consuming it:

from cooks.com
Pumpkin Bread

This is a nice loaf. It's not sweet like quick pumpkin bread, and it's not dense. I think it would be good with a mix of whole wheat and white, maybe with a little extra liquid. An extra rise.

We've also been exploring the world of pot pies. My memory of pot pies from my childhood are noteworthy only for their un-noteworthy frozen food convenience-ness. But have you tried a homemade pot pie? Imagine squash browned in butter, tossed with an assortment of fall/winter vegetables (cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, leek) soaked in a bechemel sauce that has been infused with garlic and thyme, with a buttery homemade crust on top... Even Bela said, in a grown up and very nonchalant way 'Oh Mom, this dinner is great. Really yummy.'  Try Deborah Madison for some inspiration.

2). As for the square dancing, I don't know. I was just charmed by the little pavilion at Holstein Park, set up for the apple pie contest and fall festival. Chris has promised that, for my birthday, he will take square dancing lessons with me. I know. It isn't something you exactly need lessons for. How hard could it be? But it also isn't something we would do on our own.  So we'll wait until Old Town School wants to offer another class, and then we will be there. Even if I have to drag him.

3). Instead of ramble on about bread and soup, I'm just going to say the following:

These two books are rocking my kitchen lately. Man. That is all I have to say.

Book # 1
Book # 2




4). I really like to knit things for my girls. The patterns are cute, the yarn is splendid, the pace is.....FAST. Let's face it. Those kids are a fraction of my size, and knitting for them is ultimately more satisfying than knitting up something for myself. Nonetheless, every once in awhile I think about, and then attempt, to knit something in a grown up size. Like this:

From Rowan Purelife - Recycled Cotton Collection

I started this particular sweater in March. And got through the front, the back, and one sleeve by April. And then it sat. And sat. And sat. I am now finished with all the pieces, it's been pinned and blocked, and is sitting there waiting for me to sew it all together, to finish the neckline. If I finish it, if it looks half as good on me as it does on this lady here, then I"ll post a picture soon.

5). And finally, enjoying this season. I am working on a little collection that I hope to post soon. Just a representation of this season, by color. Stay tuned. In the meantime, enjoy these pictures of some of the things we've been up to, as we enjoy this beautiful season. Some are taken by Chris, some by Bela, and some by me.

As though it were even possible, my love for my kids has grown by leaps and bounds lately. Can I say that they are the awesome-ist little campers of all time? Bela made eggs and bacon for us in the morning, gladly stumbled out of the tent in the dark of the early morning to pee in the leaves, and obsessively pumped water for our camp. Mae hiked like a champ, collected acorns and earnestly looked for gnomes in the woods. Bela tossed a football around with Chris, climbed trees. Mae constructed forts and hide-outs, spent hours playing with her books and dolls inside them. God I love those girls.

From Kettle Moraine - Greenbush Campground

Garwood Orchards, Indiana - Apple and pumpkin picking

Indiana Dunes - Mt. Baldy

This Moment

You know the drill. It's Friday. It's time for This Moment. Every Friday, one image from the week that needs no words of explanation. Enjoy this moment from our week!

Weekend run

Before I say anything, I want to congratulate all the registrants, participants, volunteers, organizers and finishers of this year's Chicago Marathon. AMAZING!

And now...

I'm a farm girl at heart. I dream of goats, sheep, chickens. I really do. Chris and I seriously considered trying to buy an old farm house in Sidney, IL a couple years back. But somewhere along the way I made a choice that landed me here, in the third largest city in the country. I probably should have lived on some farm somewhere.

But I live in the city. And....I love it.


And because I live in this city, I run in this city. I've had some beautiful runs in my life, etched as firmly in my memory as the time I fell off my dad's shoulders at the McLean County Fair as a girl. I've run along a cold and foggy Oregon coast, through the forests of the Smoky Mountains, across the hot sandiness of Sanibel Island. I've woven my way through Urbana cornfields, Wisconsin farmland, Michigan river paths. But my weekend runs through my neighborhood here in the city rival them all in beauty, especially at this time of year.

My route meanders in a mostly North-South fashion. I head South out of Ukrainian Village, eventually veer East into West Town only to turn around back North and run through Wicker Park and Bucktown. For the most part, the brick two-flats and the tall condo buildings do a nice job of shading me from the sun, but when I pass those East-West cross streets, I'm hit with a blast of the most beautiful, magical autumnal sun imaginable. It's like being on stage, golden and illuminated and breathless. I can't describe how beautiful it is to run through the streets of my neighborhood in October.

My neighborhood

And this has been quite possibly the most beautiful week all year. The tops of the trees are reddening. The yellows are brilliant. The low angle of the sun is spellbinding and gives a sense of surreality to everything. I purposely trod on the fallen leaves because, like a little girl, can't help but love the sound of it.  I close my eyes as I run past wrought iron fences, because the play of light and shadow on my eyes (dark light dark light dark light) makes me dizzy.

7:00 a.m. on a Saturday or Sunday around here these days is all leaves and golden colors and people walking dogs and people with coffee and men playing chess in the park and the smell of bacon in the streets.

This weekend did not disappoint.

Cortez

Oakley

Grand Street Gardens

Grand St. Gardens - I used to be the manager here

Grand St. Gardens - Leavitt and Grand

Sundays in Wicker Park

Squash in Wicker Park

Sweet Autumn Clemantis

Sweet Cakes Bakery - Damen Ave.

Waiting for the leaves to fall

Our Neighborhood Ukrainian Church

And another one...

And another

Holstein Park

On the way home...

And finally home.

I ran around like a love struck lunatic this weekend and last, snapping pictures with my phone along my run. I can only hope my girls will join me one day, and I can only hope we live in a place I love as much as this one.