A birthday cupcake

On January 29th, 2016, somewhere in the far reaches of a country where very few cupcakes can be found, one of my best friends turned 35 years old.

But even though she is far and away, I baked her a cupcake anyway....

And then I ate it.
And it was good.

Happy birthday Judy!!!

PS: Photo evidence of cupcake devouring was not taken due to the all consuming deliciousness of the double chocolate delight.

A New Year

It's been a quiet start so far, which is welcome. I like to enter the New Year with a sense of calm and routine. We had a wonderful Christmas holiday, full of early mornings, and late nights, visits to the mainland, gatherings with friends, good food, and one heck of  New York New Year's party. The holiday blessings were many, but I won't lie, there is something nice about getting back to the routine of work, school, normal bedtimes, normal meals.

Here are some January snap shots:

Uncle Jon had the good fortune of spending his first days of the New Year in hawaii; the proof is in the t-shirts. Amelia was very happy with her turtle shirt. 

We ate quite a bit of decadent, probably not so healthy foods over the holidays, so I am trying to make a different vegetable soup at least once a week. I find soups are the best way to get almost any vegetable into my kids. I puree their portions, but to be honest husband and I prefer a chunkier soup. It feels more satisfying somehow when there is something to chew. This was a basic vegetable soup but I am going to try a wedding soup this week. I'll keep you posted on how the pureed meatballs go over with the kids. 

Two new things have been implemented into our weekly routines: treat Fridays and video game Mondays. It probably sounds like exactly what should be eliminated from a weekly routine, but husband and I are tentatively trying these special days out as a way of actually cutting down treat and screen time around our home by confining those things to these two specific days. So every Friday Jakob and Amelia get to choose one treat, any treat, of their choosing to share after dinner; and every Monday after Amelia goes down for her night Jakob and dad play a few rounds of a video game. It's only been three weeks, but so far the kids have adapted surprisingly quickly and impressively well to the new routine. It has benefited us in more ways then we thought so for now we are sticking with it. 

And a few from the holiday baking that went on in December (I couldn't resist. Our holiday baking was abundant this year!) 

Amelia really took to cookie baking this year. In fact, anytime I do anything in the kitchen she is right there behind me dragging along her stepping stool...

Pistachio cranberry crisps, cherry dreams, mint chocolate crinkles, mint chocolate chip and good old kid decorated sugar cookies!)

 I hope you have all had a great start to the New Year - may it be a happy and healthy one for you all!

Merry Christmas Eve

The children are sleeping, there is snow on my sister's mountain, the house is cozy and all is ready for the big morning to come. Nothing left to do but snuggle in with a night cap and wait for Santa.

From our home to yours have a very Merry Christmas Eve.

Love The Boyds

What ought to be done

 "They only did what they ought to have done".  I heard someone say this at a Remembrance Day service today and it has really stuck with me. I've been recalling the words over and over, thinking about all those people over the course of history who died, on one side of the other, for the cause of freedom. I think about the fear those young soldiers must have felt as they were sent blindly to their deaths in the trenches and front lines of the World Wars, and I wonder at what moves today's armed forces. What is that feeling in their hearts and souls that is big enough, brave enough to drive them to do what they do, even knowing what we know about war today. The men and women who go into the battle fields today are not as ignorant or blind to the realities of war as they once were, and still they go. And I wonder what separates those that have that feeling from those of us who do not. 

"They only did what they ought to have done."

Hearing this phrase today me feel very small because of all the things I ought to do that I have never and may never do, and it made them seem very big because of all the things they have done, and will either continue to do, or will never do again because they no longer can. And they are big. And I am small. And today is about remembering that because their bigness has brought us this: 

PEACE, from a kindergartners point of view.

A couple of photos from the Remembrance Day service we attended downtown today. 

They are only doing what they ought to do.

To those of you with that feeling I say, thank you.