This year, with Viv at the middle school, the kids leave on separate buses. Vivienne dutifully bundles up to make her way across to the bus stop at 6:59 (!) each morning, then I get a quiet hour with Hugh before the grade school bus arrives. It feels a bit like that final pre-K year … Continue reading Wait With Me
Author: Caroline
Lenten Roses
There is nothing like the faithful arrival of the Lenten Rose. Out of the spare, reflective season of lent, in the last days of winter, these blooms defy the cold earth and come right up through the snow. Ours are a bit hidden down a lane in the middle garden, so I don’t regularly happen … Continue reading Lenten Roses
(Nearly) Grain-Free Granola
Over the past year, with the help of a holistic nutritionist, I’ve pretty significantly shifted my approach to food. The short story is: way more protein, way fewer carbs… and baaaasically no gluten. I’m not allergic to it, I just feel truly awful when I have more than a couple bites, so it’s less appealing … Continue reading (Nearly) Grain-Free Granola
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Viv and Hugh are back to school (hallelujah!) and I’m trying to be a little more intentional about baking with them on the weekends. A good friend recently reminded me what a great exercise it is - both for quality time, and for math, sharing, direction following, and patience… and it produces a stash of … Continue reading Whole Wheat Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
COVID-19: Vivienne’s Take
I was reminded recently that the point of a blog (or at least this one) is to write the family memories down lest we forget them. This is a thing I haven't done during the entirety of the COVID-19 pandemic, the beginning of which coincided with my sudden heart issues, and throughout which we survived … Continue reading COVID-19: Vivienne’s Take
Poppies
It's our first spring in the garden at Wingate house, and among all the wonders unfolding around us, the poppies -- with their odd, hairy pods, their tightly packed tissue paper petals unfurling hour by hour -- are one of the greatest pleasures. Before they opened, Hugh reverently enfolded the pods in his little hands … Continue reading Poppies
Peggy Porschen Floral Installation
Who in the world is Peggy Porschen, you ask? She's an award winning cake designer in London, whose cake shop in Belgravia features stunning seasonal floral installations like this one: To make a long story short, a good friend of ours was planning a surprise 40th birthday party for his wife, Jennifer, who had been … Continue reading Peggy Porschen Floral Installation
Valentine’s Cookie Decorating Party
Vivienne is seven! Her birthday lined up with our February vacation week trip to Phoenix, so this year, we decided to throw her a party early and take advantage of Valentines Day with a cookie decorating theme party. Hearts, sprinkles, and unlimited frosting... what more could a seven year old want? This was our first … Continue reading Valentine’s Cookie Decorating Party
In Development
In the process of packing up our house these last weeks, I've read through several of my old journals and was struck by this particular entry, written during Vivienne's toddler years. She has always brought me so much joy, but the transition to motherhood was hard for me. This brief entry so concisely captured that … Continue reading In Development
A Time for Everything
The other day, I overheard Vivienne say, "Hey Hugh, did you know there's a time for everything in life?" It was somehow both whimsical and instructional, and Hugh, with an appropriately serious nod, played along like he totally got it. Little ears are clearly picking up on the underlying vibe around here... There is, indeed, a … Continue reading A Time for Everything