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July 29, 2008

You must read Donne out loud--it's like a Bach fugue

Anyone who likes books and/or is an anglophile should see 84 Charing Cross. It's a lovely, quiet little movie about a feisty writer (played by Anne Bankroft) in New York who develops a long-term correspondence with an owner of a bookstore (Anthony Hopkins) in London. Very sweet, and based on actual letters. Someone on Wikipedia actually cataloged many of the books she bought over the years. When Tim took a trip to London in his bachelor days he stayed in a hotel on Monmouth St. in Seven Dials (2 blocks from Charing Cross Road) just so he could be near the bookshops.

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Tonight...

...Elanor learned to clap.

One moment she couldn't clap, the next moment she could. And she's continued it sporadically all night long.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 9:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 25, 2008

Vacation: The Food

Tim and Joanna: We had a plethora of seafood during the trip--lunch, dinner and even a breakfast of shrimp-and-grits! We hadn't eaten this much seafood since our honeymoon on Prince Edward Island.

One night for dinner we went to the Taj Mahal of seafood restaurants, The Crab Shack. In no time at all we had a massive platter of crab (2 types), mussels, crawfish, shrimp, potatoes, sausage and corn on the cob in front of us.

The four of us dug in and by the time we were full, there was still a third of it left over. Joanna was tormented by an unwelcome bird that was using her for target practice. So we renamed the place "The Crap Shack." During dinner we gave the twins bottles but by the time Elanor was done with hers, she was drenched with milk. I thought maybe I didn't screw the lid on, but Joanna didn't think so. Did Elanor unscrew the bottle and try to chug it? Hmmmm....that one was a head scratcher.

Another night we bought fresh-caught shrimp off of the dockside and made "Frogmore stew" or "low-country boil." It was so easy that I wish I had tried it years ago. It's definitely going back on our menu the next time we see shrimp on sale.

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Vacation: The Kids

Tim and Joanna: This past week, we spent a little mini-vacation with the grandparents at Tybee Island with little jaunts into Savannah.

The first morning before breakfast we took the kids down to the beach for a taste of the old briny. Elanor liked playing with the sand but Ian was a bit skeptical of the whole ocean thing. "What is this grey watery stuff and why is there so much of it and why am I in it?" They would grab some sand in their hands and stare at it as if they were thinking "what...the...heck...is...THIS...stuff??" Ian remained somewhat wary of the ocean for the rest of the visit.

Tim was sympathetic--considering all of the unknowns in the ocean, a healthy skepticism was not an inappropriate reaction on the part of our little guy. Between the sun, the sand, and pondering the incomprehensible forces of nature, Ian soon tired himself out.

They loved their beach toys. Even though they had no conception of their proper functions, the brilliant colors and unusual shapes amused them.

Elanor loved the water in every shape and form. The pool was her favorite, though. She would laugh, cackle and shriek for joy as she kicked in her little floaty. She also loved looking at water, especially if it had bright little fishies swimming around in it.

We buried the twins in the sand up to the waists and they didn't seem to mind, as long as we kept the waves from creeping up on them. They took a few tastes of sand and found that it didn't sit well on the palate.

The apartment was equipped with a double sink that was just their size. Some days they seemed to have more fun getting the sand and gunk off of them as they had had putting it on themselves.

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Family portrait

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July 16, 2008

Ian the Intrepid

Tim and Joanna: Lately we've been grappling with the ramifications of having a mobile kid. Gone are the days when we can leave Ian on the couch or in his swing. Or pretty much anywhere in the house without close supervision...

Upward, or should I say horizontal mobility does have its drawbacks though. It's a long way from our living room to our kitchen and sometimes Ian makes the journey (dragging his tummy on the carpet) to the kitchen expecting to see one of us there. Then when he occassionally finds that no one is there, he bewails his lonely and desolate fate.

For the longest time, Ian would crawl to the edge of the kitchen and stop. He would lay there, head on his hands, pondering the border between one environment and the next. Sometimes he would gingerly put one hand over the edge, and then draw it back, only to ruminate some more. Should he cross over, or shouldn't he? What terrors or delights await for him in the Unknown Land of Kitchen? Is not the whiteness of the linoleum analagous to the whiteness of the whale haunting Ahab? Or perhaps it is a tabula rasa awaiting the handprints of the ever-exploring philosopher?

Stay tuned for further adventures of Ian the Intrepid!

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July 15, 2008

Tim's Behemoth Bachelor Burritos

Tim: So all of you In Search of Lost Time readers out there know by now that Joanna is an excellent cook. One needs only to go to the "Categories" list on our blog and to click on "cooking stuff" to view a veritable smorgasbord of virtual vittles. Well the time has now come to reveal my own cooking skills. Joanna suggested that I share one of my "recipes" from my bachelor days. I thank her for using the word "recipe" so loosely and for allowing the high standards we have for our blog to sink so low.

Nevertheless, I give you Tim's Behemoth Bachelor Burritos.

Ingredients:

• Two flat round tortillas


• Refried black beans (homemade is terrific)


• Onions and bell peppers


• Olives (sure, you can use the ubiquitous green olives, but a nice mix of gourmet olives or kalamata olives really raises the bar here)


• Corn (preferably: canned mexicorn with jalapenos and stuff)


• Salsa (again, the kind of salsa you use really makes or breaks these tortillas. Experiment! Green, red, smoky, fruity, whatever floats your boat)


• Cheese

Spread the black beans even on the tortilla. Chop up onions, peppers and olives and pile them on with copious amounts of corn. Spread on lots of salsa and cheese. Place another tortilla on top and microwave for 2 1/2 minutes. (Okay, so it's not really a burrito. But it's yummy!) The top tortilla gets kind of crispy. Joanna has tried doing this on a griddle, but the microwave is better (the tortilla burns by the time all the ingredients are warm, unless you want to do some kind of combo cooking method, but that takes away from the bachelor simplicity of the whole thing).

Now...to get the complete bachelor experience while eating the behemoth bachelor burrito, it is helpful to simultaneously be engaged in one or more of these activities:

1) Watch a WWII movie, or perhaps a football game (preferably the Steelers)
2) Drink a beer (a "proper" beer of course, not Budweiser)
3) Wear no more apparel than shorts, possibly socks also.
4) Listen to loud music (Wagner or progressive rock). Did I mention the music was supposed to be loud?
5) Argue theology vehemently with your favorite Sicilian (but more than likely, you'll be eating his bachelor spaghetti sauce during this activity)

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July 14, 2008

Memoriam

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away. (1 Peter 1:24)

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandmen waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. (James 5:7)

But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. (1 Peter 1:25)

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35:10)

Hark, I hear the harps eternal
Ringing on the farther shore,
As I near those swollen waters
With their deep and solemn roar.

Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Hallelujah, praise the lamb!
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Glory to the great I AM!

And my soul, though stained with sorrow,
Fading as the light of day,
Passes swiftly o'er those waters,
To the city far away.

Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Hallelujah, praise the lamb!
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Glory to the great I AM!

Souls have crossed before me, saintly,
To that land of perfect rest;
And I hear them singing faintly
In the mansions of the blest.

Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Hallelujah, praise the lamb!
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
Glory to the great I AM!

Posted by Tim and Jo at 10:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 11, 2008

Elanor grasps the concept of book

For awhile, she's been trying to turn pages as we've read to her. I set her down with Brown Bear, Brown Bear and left her alone.

She sat turning the pages for several minutes.

It's so amazing to see these ideas appear for the first times. She has grasped the whole idea of book. Not just the single object that sits in her hands, but that there are other objects symbolized by the same idea (Book), and the concept that you do the same things with these other objects, whether mommy or daddy holds them or she holds them.

If I were a philosopher, I'd know the words to explain this. Or if I could pull back all of the fuzz from my brain that's accumulated from late nights, early mornings, and plenty of spit-up. But it's still fun to sit back and watch it happen.

Posted by Tim and Jo at 10:07 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

July 9, 2008

Raising Daughters

Sometimes, looking ahead across the long years of how difficult a girl's childhood and adolescence can be, it terrifies me to have a daughter. I know boys have troubles, too, but girls still just seem so complicated.

Here is a lovely post that really encouraged me.

Thankfully many of these challenges are still a long way off.

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July 8, 2008

Mouth Strumming

This has been a source of endless amusement lately--for us and them. Enjoy!

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July 7, 2008

Transitions

So, this is probably a new parent thing, an insight that most experienced parents have already had.

But over the past few weeks, I've realized that my babies are much happier when I actively create transitions for them.

After a meal of solid foods, they used to fuss and cry, even if I could tell from their cues they weren't hungry anymore. And they would continue to freak out while I tried to wipe their faces, trays, put away the food, etc. I think they must have been thinking, however babies think, "Why is this good thing being taken away from me?" (even though I as an adult could tell that they were no longer hungry).

Now, as soon as they're done, I hand them each a clean spoon to play with. No more tears for them, and a chance for me to clean things (and them!) up before the gook has a chance to dry. Then they get down and play.

The flow-chart (not to totally geek out here) for this would be (a) eat (b) transition=spoons (c) get down and play.

I suppose that's what we've been doing for awhile with sleep-times/naptimes, but hadn't thought about the wider applications of transition times.

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July 5, 2008

More 4th Fun!

Elanor wore a festive bow (her first).

Ian found his favorite perch--an uncle's head!

Their cousin gave them dolls. Actually, these three look like little dolls all in a row.

Ian loved his boy dolly.

Maybe later I'll post some outtakes!

Posted by Tim and Jo at 8:24 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Hey-nonny-nonny!

For our anniversary we dumped the kids on their grandparents (woohoo!) and went to the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern to see Much Ado About Nothing. To build the anticipation, we watched the Kenneth Branaugh movie of the play a few days beforehand. We both agreed that the best part is the montage sequence where Benedick is splashing in the fountain and Beatrice is swinging.

At the Tavern we got the corner seats in the balcony directly across from where we sat when we saw Romeo and Juliet, We dined on shepherd's pie, cornish pasty, a Shakespeare Stout and a Samuel Smith Taddy Porter.

The play was excellent, and many times the whole place was erupting in laughter over the way the actors delivered certain lines and added wry facial expressions. It was the last night of this play's run, so there was an atmosphere of "let's milk all the hilarity we can out of this play." After it was over, they played "Chapel of Love" by the Dixie Cups, a perfect way to send the crowd on their way out of the theatre. A great night!

I may chance have some odd quirks and remnants of wit broken on me, because I have railed so long against marriage: but doth not the appetite alter? ...When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married.

Joanna: The irony of watching a play about a militant bachelor mending his ways with my husband on our anniversary was not lost on me (or Tim). More than once, an elbow in his side pointed out the similarities between Benedick and him.

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July 4, 2008

Ian n Elanor sez

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July 3, 2008

Happy Fourth!

Yeah, yeah, I know it's the third.

But it's our fourth!

Four years ago today, we were at a big party.

For a brief moment, our communities collided, our past and present, friends and family, childhood, schools, churches, the North and the South.

It feels like this tangle of communities is a huge part of what marriage is about. My friends are his friends. His family is my family.

And then our communities literally collided in the festive mosh pit otherwise known as the Slovakian Bridal Dance.

This year, we've learned to know each other as parents. Though we had a couple of wiggly but self-contained sweet potatoes this time last year, this year we've had to wrestle with the realities and responsibilities of parenthood.

It's been hard at times, but it's also helped us to get to know each other at a deeper level, to work together as a team, and to realize more and more how dependent we are on God for getting through each and every day.

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