Bits and pieces

Three things I'm loving right now:

1. The idea of hot-cross buns in the morning. Did you know hot-cross buns are a traditional Good Friday food? I did not know, and we're not having any (!), but don't these look good?

2. This book by one of my new favorite authors. Also this one, which a friend recommended, and this, which for some reason I put off reading but then couldn't put down.

3. These Chicago White Sox players wearing 'Boston Strong' T-shirts in their game against the Red Sox gave me a lump in my throat. We'll be in our usual spot on Monday cheering loudly for the runners in this year's marathon, and without a doubt I'll have another lump in my throat as they go by.

I hope you have a very happy (long) weekend.

(Photos by londonbakes for Food52 and AP photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

New year

"For what it's worth ... it's never too late ... to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of, and if you're not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again." ~ Eric Roth, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

Wishing you the happiest 2014, filled with startling sights and people with different points of view.

(Photo from lebenslustiger.com)

Elf

I resisted this guy. It seemed like just one more thing to buy and to remember to do each night before bed. I resisted for so long I thought all three of my children had outgrown something like this.

I was wrong.

This year Livvy, who is almost nine, has talked about an elf on our own shelf every single day. Many of her friends have elves who appeared soon after Thanksgiving. She never whined; she simply looked sad each morning when she came downstairs. She talked with a friend from school (whose elf also hadn't made an appearance), and they decided maybe the elf didn't come until the tree went up. I knew Livvy was grappling with the whole concept, because every so often she would ask, "But wait, do you buy the elf?"

She is right on the cusp, this girl. She hasn't asked directly whether Santa Claus is real, but there have been so many questions. How does he know what I want if I haven't told him? How does he know you haven't bought me the same present? How would he know how to find us if we went away for Christmas?

I think, in the end, she's not quite ready to stop believing. Which takes us back to the elf. He seems more important to her this year than ever before, so last night, at long last, he arrived. This morning, when Livvy came downstairs, she said, "No elf, right?" And I said, "Liv, we put up the tree last night. Maybe he came. You should look."

And there he was, sitting next to some glasses in the cupboard. Great joy for one almost-nine-year-old. We may not need him again next year, but this year we definitely do.

Mothers

My grandmother - my mother's mother - passed away before my sister and I were born, when my mother was newly married. My mother, an only child, adored her mom, and when I was little, I loved hearing stories about their life together.

I worried, though, about my mother missing my grandmother, and I didn't like to think what it must have been like for her when she passed away. To me, it was unimaginable not to have a mother. Yet, she told me that after her mother died, she so often felt mothered by others. I liked that idea.

My mother passed away two years ago. I'm now in her shoes. Only, my feelings of being mothered come not just from others, but from her. I can't call her each day as I used to, but I think about her every single day, throughout my day, and I feel as though she's still very much my mother and always will be. I once found it unimaginable to lose a mother. Now I don't believe you can.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend and an especially happy Mother's Day.

My mother and me.

New traditions

Earlier this week we went to our friends' home for a Seder dinner, which was the first Seder experience for my children. They had no idea what to expect but liked all of it: dipping bitter herbs into salt water, drinking grape juice in place of wine, learning the symbolism of the various foods on the Seder plate, and listening to the Passover story. It didn't hurt that our friends are funny and relaxed and very good cooks. I'm hoping that learning a new custom might mean that they'll be open-minded when I tell them my idea for decorating eggs tomorrow. Though Easter egg decorating in my house has always meant smelly vinegar and dye, I loved the eggs I saw on See Jane Blog, which were made using Sharpies. Sharpies can be a little smelly, too, but aren't these eggs pretty? I'm pretty sure tradition will win out and I'll be pulling out the vinegar, but it can't hurt to try. I also love the Easter tree my sister made this year, shown above. Very fancy and fun. Have a happy Easter if you're celebrating, and happy Passover, too.

(Top image: Elizabeth Bear; Bottom image: See Jane Blog)

Flowers for Valentine's Day

It isn't that I don't like Valentine's Day. In fact, it's one of my favorites. I think if there's going to be a holiday celebrating a sentiment, that sentiment should be love. It's just that, as predicted, I'm not quite ready. I've bought cards for my family. I've helped my eight-year-old cut wings and feet for her owl Valentines. But that's all so far. That may be all, period.

This is one of the reasons I admire my sister, Elizabeth. She is ready. The cards she sent have arrived in the mail. She even had a dinner party last weekend with a Valentine's theme. I love the combination of fresh flowers in greens and whites mixed with pink hearts standing in cups of M&Ms. Her table was colorful and whimsical, and I'm sure her party was very fun. Who wouldn't like that?

(All photos by Elizabeth Bear)