magic days

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

Such days these two have. Busy from morning 'til bedtime. Whether they are trying to help set the table or racing their bikes or directing elaborate make-believe dialogs between their dolls the affection and joy just radiates from them. They never tire of each other, never cease to consider the other, rarely ever quarrel. I have had enough children to know that this is not simply a consequence of being siblings.

It is a gift.

And so is this little window of time in their lives. Moira was just saying how she remembers exactly when it was that Alannah stopped wanting to play with the dolls. How bewildered she was. They are of an age where they are growing more similar again now, but there is that in between time. A big girl gets bigger before her little shadow does. It's bittersweet. And it will happen again for a time.

Here's the wonderful secret though, she waits for you to catch up, baby girl. And while you both grow I will have these pictures for you to remind you of these magic days.

A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. ~Marion C. Garretty

to the falls

Posted on November 6, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

It was a little drizzly the day we decided to hike to the falls in Wales. It was apparently "that" kind of cloudy day where it would be staying overcast but not going to progress to a downpour. I still have not become savvy enough at reading clouds to know for sure which is which, but Alannah and Allen seemed pretty confident and sure enough we had a good climb.

This was a remarkably steep trail but it led to some incredible views. Also an incredibly high overlook which tempted one boy enough to earn him a tongue wagging from his sisters. It's like having 3 mama's for the second set of kids around here. We don't miss much between us. ; )

We lunched at the top and then made our way back down in time to cross the little wooden bridge (by car) across the lake to the cabin side before the toll man closed up shop. I wish I had gotten a shot of that. The girls were joking it was only missing some goats and a troll. White painted wood bridge. One lane. Across the whooooole lake. I couldn't shoot. I was busy breathing.

At home in Aljustrel

Posted on November 4, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

One of my favorite places in Portugal was the hamlet of Aljustrel. It was home to the young seers of Fatima. I loved walking through this sleepy village, loved steeping into these old stucco and stone buildings with spartan but still cozy rooms. I imagine life there, simple but not easy.

"Speak ill of no one and avoid the company of those who talk (bad) about their neighbours."

~Jacinta Marto of Fatima

right here

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

"Lest I ever lose perspective on what's important, may the small details of daily life serve to remind me:

The sweetest memories are right here, in the moments we create and share with one another."

– Mitten Strings for God, Katrina Kenison

I began a longer post but finishing is going to take from tomorrow which is promising to be full enough. So instead, little 'details of daily life' lately.

attuning ourselves

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

"The kingdom of home, as the kingdom of heaven, is within us. It is pleasant and happy or the opposite according as our minds and hearts attune themselves to the beauty and joy around us or vibrate to thoughts of ugliness and discomfort."

- On Wisdom & Virtues, Laura Ingalls Wilder

Kicking off November with a gratitude challenge. Thanksgiving is not for the fortunate few. It is for those who are tuned in.

When I looked out the kitchen door one chilly, damp morning the mare's blanket against the recently reseeded pasture took my breath away. So today I am grateful for little bursts of color in gray days. Figuratively and literally.

there’s no place like home

Posted on November 1, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

By all accounts it was a banner year for Halloween around here. No doubt it helped a lot that we began to think about costumes sometime before the week of.

We've seen a lot of great ideas over the years. Every year as we follow the kids around we muse about all the potential group costumes we could pull off. Every year we shelf those plans until we are walking around the next time. This year we started tucking away props well in advance. We won't always have the numbers at home to be able to pull this off so I didn't want to put off good ideas any longer taking for granted there will be other years.

At the last minute, the sewing machine was broken and we had lots of travel and other things compete for our attention in October. With Moira's help we still managed to get them skipping down the yellow brick road finally. It was super dark all day and we never had great light for pictures. We worked with what we had and this is what we came up with.

for anyone interested in costume construction here are the specifics:

The little girls dresses were the only things I have ever purchased ready made for Halloween. It was a big stretch for me! They came on sale locally with just two left – one in each of their sizes. Kieran's tin man was originally going to be made with metallic paint. We painted a funnel for the hat and then ended up literally duck taped an old shirt and pants. We cut a box and taped that too. I had hoped to find dryer venting for the arms and legs but in the end duck tape worked just fine.

Moira made her skirt – by hand – (see sewing machine note above) out of two rectangles of old bedsheets and a fairy wand/tiara set from the discount store. Aidan found an old straw hat at the thrift store. We peeled corn cobs for dinner earlier in the week and saved all those straw like layers. They were torn and duck taped into pants and collar and hat etc.

Brendans robe came from a Yoda costume we found. We ditched the hat and used this tute to make fringey main and cuffs. Some stiffer chunky yarn would work best. Mine was a curly wrinkly mess that didn't cooperate well when trying to stitch it down. Or glue as the case ended up being. Moira found some homeless costume bottoms in the dress up box and

There you have it. : )

I want to assure you I have accomplished nothing else terribly newsworthy this week. There are no INside pictures you notice. Don't imagine we also had an immaculate house and elaborate meals and heavy duty lessons every day. When you see a big thing happening here, know that we probably focused on that big thing. Thats my disclaimer <g>

pumpkin season

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

"Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn."

- Elizabeth Lawrence

I have more to say about that, though it won't all be said yet tonight. Suffice it to say that is an important line right there. I saw a beautiful sign hanging in a hallway the other day that read, "The world does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds." This is firmly fixed in my mind these days. Onward…

The farmer brought us a load of pumpkins last week. It isn't a British "thing" so it was especially sweet they saved some for us when they were harvested. Some of the family went to Ireland so we're waiting until tomorrow to carve them.

Yes, it's the end of October and yes, my sons will be wearing shorts all winter. File that thought away for any future pictures of them ok?

This is Abbie Rose's official, sweet as pie, autumn picture.

This was pretty darn funny though….

I know a lot of people say their kids hate taking pictures but I have a big group of hams which makes my job a lot easier.

I have a thing with shooting vertical shots. My husband almost never, ever turns the camera. Ever. Random, totally useless bit of information there. Just noticed is all. Hope your month has been filled with candy corn and sweaters and all good things.

Lisbon in living color

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

I have this little window of connectivity, hence the mega-share tonight. We aren't sure what is happening with our service. It was pretty much non-existent all weekend and may well return to that. It's fickle that way, euro-internet. ; )

These images came from our first 24 hours in Lisbon, wandering around the waterfront where the marathon was held. The boys and I hung out down here while Allen ran. (he ran the half prepping for tomorrow's Dublin marathon)

This is my boys being brave. They are supposed to at least give a try at ordering food or buying souvenirs. Let me tell you, this is a little intimidating even for grown ups. I am really proud of them and this picture sums up alot of what we hoped for them when we began this journey.

Here he is coming down the finish line.

If you made it this far we are now half of us in Dublin and the other half here at home in our pjs watching a lot of movies and drinking copious amounts of cocoa. Can you guess which half I am in lol? We are expecting this big St Jude Storm to hit the UK during the night. We have the garden furniture and pots put away and the trampoline tied to the fence. We aren't in the direct line of fire so hoping this just amounts to a windy day at home.

{this moment}

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Kim Halloran-Fry

{this moment}

A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.